Changing Mahou: The Seventh Key
by Lexiconish
Summary: Mahou. A town which never changes, stoically going on with their magic ways. Syaoran Li. Future ruler of Mahou, and a boy who has no faith in such foolishness. Sakura Kinomoto. A girl who... well, that's a good question. What does she want with this town?
1. A Prologue of Sorts

_The mist swirled around the small town, and the young boy was cautious as he entered the temporarily abandoned haven. The bells within the city chimed again. Church would begin in just a few minutes, but he'd felt something strange this morning. He just had to get there first._

_Light slanted in through stained glassed windows, illuminating an ominously still form. The small boy gasped softly, and his foot steps echoed as he raced down the aisle to the figure on the altar._

_"Hey," he mumured, loathe to disturb the stillness of the air. "Hey girl, wake up already."_

_The person on the altar was a girl about his age. Her hair was down to her waist, an auburn colour, and as her confused eyes slowly inched open, he saw that she had dazzling green eyes. "Hn..." she groaned, turning her gaze to him. "Who're you?" she whispered._

_"You should be telling me that. Do you know where you are?" he demanded, releasing the shoulder he had been shaking._

_"It looks," she searched her surroundings, "Like a catherdral."_

_"That's what it is. What are you doing here?" She frowned, looking at him with much displeasure in her eyes at her inability to give a satisfactory answer._

_"I've no idea. Who are you?"_

_The bell chimed again, and the boy sighed. "Later. Listen, the priests will be really angry if they find you in here now. I'll hide you, ok? We can talk after the sermon, and find out why you're in the church. Did someone leave you here?"_

_She took his offered hand, shaking her head worriedly, allowing the straight smooth curtain of hair stream down her back. "I don't know. I don't remember."_

_"What's your name?" he asked, morbidly curious as he led her around the corner of the cathedral, and down a little hill, onto the edge of the forest. _

_She giggled, and his cheeks burned when he saw her smile. "I asked first."_

_"Syaoran. Now you."_

_"Sakura. At least, I think so."_

_He nodded. "Wait here. I'll come and get you after ok?"_

_Sakura nodded, watching as the little boy hurried away, joining the flocks of people as they flowed into the huge stone building she had just been in. "Who am I?" she asked herself, settling into the grass, and admiring the sunlight as it glittered on the roof of the cathedral. Mist continued to whirl around her, "And what was I doing... sleeping in a place like that?"_

_Inside, Syaoran asked the same questions, unable to concentrate on the priest's speeches today. His mother scolded him, and did not let him collect Sakura. She waited. All day, and all night. The following morning, Syaoran came. Sakura was gone._

**Chapter One: Prologue of sorts**

"How familiar," Syaoran thought as he passed by the cathedral. Four years had passed since the day he found Sakura. He had not seen her again, and continued to wonder who she was, and what she had been doing in there. He was 12 now, on his was to school. He no longer visited the ancient building. It was always empty, but he still passed by every day. "It's like dé já vu..." that feeling was there again. He doubted he'd find a mysterious little girl on the steps of the cathedral this time, but the feeling he had to be inside was there once again. "I won't though," he murmured, shaking his head and going on by. He did not want any more unanswered questions in his life, for this single one still drove him mental.

The town was ahead of him now. The place was small, and at this time of day, usually shrouded in a cloak of mist. Part of its charm, he supposed, and engulfed in traditions, customs, festivals. It never seemed to move on. And there were few who had no faith in magic.

Not that anyone had ever seen any evidence, and young Syaoran was among those few who put no stock in the craze. It was intention to get out of the town, the sooner the better. It was unlikely that he ever would, but he wished it every day. And if magic were real, was there any reason for his wish to be pushed aside.

Though he did not believe in magic anymore, at the time when he had met 'Sakura' he had believed every bit of it, drilled into him from the time he was born. And at the time, he'd suspected that maybe Sakura was a magic girl, a fairy or an elf. Perhaps a spirit. It was the last one he'd thought most reasonable when she vanished. "Called back to the spirit world," he had said, "I understand." Of course, for that must have been what happened. The beautiful spirit child might have accidentally appeared in the cathedral, leaving the spirit world for a time, and then, freed from the 'holy place' by Syaoran, she had been able to return. It would explain why she'd known nothing about what happened to her.

Now though, of course, he was quite sure that someone had abandoned the poor child in the cathedral, and when he'd left her all alone, she'd run off to find her own way.

As he entered the school, he saw other students skipping around cheerfully, and knew full well that every last one of them were taught about magic, and also believed in it. He had asked them, and though the church priests might have punished them, they had sounded so terribly honest, he was quite sure they weren't saving their hides. "Good morning Li!" one girl called as she walked past him. Li, his second name. By chance, this was the same surname of the town ruler. Lord Li, Syaoran's father, had disappeared close to the time when Syaoran had found Sakura, however since he had an available heir, his mother was allowed to rule until Syaoran grew up.

"Morning Sasaki," he replied, waving. Rika Sasaki, shy as hell.

"Morning Li," another girl said, following the first.

"Yanagisawa," he acknowledged, nodding. Raised as a Li, and the heir to the metaphorical throne, Syaoran came off as being cold, slightly obnoxious, and quite frightened the others. Out of respect, they greeted him, and invited him places. And Syaoran expected no more. He was satisfied with life the way it was, and did not take kindly to change. It was simple misfortune that change is a constant way of life, constantly inflicting itself upon us, either as a blessing or a curse.

For Syaoran, it was a blessing in disguise. For it was clear, that to begin with, it caused him more trouble than he thought it was worth. He was wrong, but sometimes, when we're wrong, it's best. Sometimes, when we receive change where it's most unwanted, it makes everything look just the way we want it, and we wonder...

... how did we ever go without it?

Breathing it. Smelling it. Embracing change was something that no resident of Mahou wanted. It was hardly necessary, for everything ran smoothly. Certainly, the occasional piece of technological assistance would be nice, but such advances were avoided. Why? There was only one reason, and it was, in truth, quite ridiculous.

Faith.

There was nothing wrong with faith, in and of itself. Alone, faith was wonderful. But faith this strong, faith that had reached a point where it was relied upon solely, to acheive every task in daily life, was a hinderance. At least, under these circumstances. Every person in the town, Syaoran Li aside, was filled with faith in magic. Their lives were fully ruled by this faith, the desires they had. They felt that the technological marvels slowly appearing in every other part of the world, were against magic itself. A fraudulent attempt to replace magic. Syaoran, as I'm sure you will agree, believed that the town was full of fools. What good was this non-existant magic? These herbs used by so-called healers, did they actually work? He doubted it. After all, just a month ago his uncle and aunt had died, despite their healers best efforts, leaving their daughter, Syaoran's cousin, in his family's care. As if his mother could deal with another child.

Nevertheless, Syaoran also disliked change. It was built into him, as with every resident of Mahou. A part of his system. That, along with the fact that life was so calm and peaceful here, made sure that no one, even Syaoran, truly desired change.

Syaoran took his seat in class, his mind once more wandering to the empty cathedral where he had found Sakura. The child had been absolutely beautiful, and by now, she'd be stunning. He shook his head once again, returning to the murky class room, where students took their seats around him.

"Good morning class," the teacher out the front called, and the Li boy focused in on the lesson. "We have several announcements this morning. The first is that we have an upcoming test a week from now, so hit the books and get studying. It's important you know. Next, we've got an excursion on Friday to the mountains, so we can examine some of the old runes." Syaoran groaned, closing his eyes. Sometimes, he wished they'd change 'magic studies' to science. He knew other towns studied that. "And our final announcement," the teacher went on, drawing Syaoran's attention once more, "Is that we have a new student. I know it is unsual to accept students this late in the year... particularly foreign ones. However, her stats are outstanding," he turned to the door, "Please come in."

Syaoran's eyes widened. "Introduce yourself."

"Hello. My name," she smiled, closing her emerald eyes, "Is Sakura Kinomoto."

---------

**AN: **And here I thought I was beyond all this short chapter stuff... -sigh- I think it might have been a bit predictable. I wish I could stuff all these ideas I have away somewhere!!! I need to finish a story before I start anymore... but I still have, like, 10 more ideas for various fandoms. I needed to write some CCS stuff, and I didn't have the motivation for the others at the moment. I promise, I'll get there. On my life. In fact, Bloody Love is inching towards the finish line (something I never thought I would see) and Office Romances, for various reasons, is under going a pile of editing before I wrap it up for good. That'll put the lid on those. Then the mini 'three day mistake', which I need to feel more random for... -sighs again- I'm sorry, I'm just really panicky and stressed lately, and this is my way of letting off some steam. So, from that tiny... 'teaser chapter', maybe you can tell me what you think? Don't be harsh, please??

Kura.

Ps: sorry everyone, again. I really am going through a lot right now, and I needed to do SOMETHING with it all... ^_^ next chapter of this will probably be longer. It was a sort of prologue of sorts... I suppose.


	2. Sakura Kinomoto and The Cathedral Again

_The green eyed girl sighed, waiting a little longer. The boy, Syaoran, had still not come for her. "Never mind," she said to the empty, and strangely heavy air, "I'll make my own way." She rose to her feet, shivering as the mist that never seemed to leave this weird place, soaked through her clothing. She glanced down. Though she had been incredibly bored throughout the day, she realised she'd failed to even find out what she was wearing. A long pale grey dress. She looked closer; they might have been robes. It was fairly dark, and she couldn't really be sure. The wind picked up, tugging at her long brown hair. She shivered again, and began to move. What if she were to spend the night in the shelter of the cathedral? Just one more night? Would it hurt?_

_She slipped over to the stone steps, shuddering as the cold seeped through the soles of her bare feet. Reaching out, she carefully heaved the oak doors open. Inside, it was a lot darker than she remembered. The darkness made it even easier to see her breath coming out in clouds, and she closed her mouth in a vain attempt to stop the extra mist. Sealing herself inside with a creaking sound, she turned and looked to the altar she'd woken on this morning. The moonlight slid in through the glass windows she'd been admiring earlier, almost inviting her to take up her place once again. Shrugging, she saw no harm in it, and knelt in the light, peering up. She felt the atmosphere tense here, and had the strange feeling that she was being watched. Ignoring it, she closed her eyes, and smiled. The moonlight seemed to caress her form, and she began to fade. Not that dear Sakura noticed, enjoying the calming sensation. As she vanished, she did just manage to hear the sharp intake of breath to her left. She did not see anyone, however, and brushed it off, seeming to completely abandon existance, and leaving behind an almost empty cathedral. A cloud mysteriously swept across the moon, and all was dark inside the building. The person who had watched Sakura so intently before was no longer present._

**Chapter Two: Sakura Kinomoto and The Cathedral Again**

"Hello. My name," she smiled, closing her emerald eyes, "Is Sakura Kinomoto." She looked around the classroom, seeking a certain face. Unable to find it, her smile faded slightly, but she shrugged it off, and brightened. "I am here to learn the ways of this town, and to assist my current master..." she trailed off. Of course, they would be unaware of such things. She was such an idiot, practically blurting out her secrets like that. "I beg your pardon. I must have lapsed into a daze there. Unfortunately, it's known to happen to me. That is only a legend, and I apologize. I'll just leave it there." She bowed hurriedly, and turned to the teacher, who nodded, and indicated the seat in front of Syaoran.

"There's a spare seat beside Mihara there," he said, "Mihara, raise your hand."

Syaoran sighed as he watched the girl take her seat. She didn't notice him. He bit his lip. Sure, she didn't look _identical_ to that girl from before. Her skin was slightly darker, and her hair was just above shoulder length, with two little pig tails. The hair ties were red cherries. But those eyes were unmistakable, and the name was the very same. It couldn't be a coincedence. He shuffled back, narrowing his eyes. That feeling as he passed the cathedral that morning... he shook his head. He was thinking like the foolish priests; the Li Clan Elders, as it happened. Magic was _not_ real. It had to be a simple coincedence, after all, surely she would recognize him otherwise?

The lesson was ending, and Syaoran made as if to speak to her, something completely out of the ordinary for him, but Mihara beat him to the chase.

"So, Kinomoto was it?" she asked.

Sakura smiled. "You can just call me Sakura, if you like. And you were Mihara, if I'm not much mistaken."

"Chiharu, thanks," the reddish-brown haired girl replied, shaking Sakura's hand. "And these are," she pointed to the girls who were joining the conversation, and Mihara's long time friend, Yamazaki, "Yanagisawa, Naoko... Sasaki, Rika... and Yamazaki, Takashi."

Each indicated that she could call them by their first names, and Sakura did likewise. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said. Syaoran still wanted to question her, but if he spoke now, he might have to speak to the others as well. And, he didn't want to talk about the day, four years ago anyway. He grunted furiously, and rose to his feet, making to leave the class room for lunch.

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed upon seeing him, "And if you don't my asking, who might you be?" The others held back their comments, praying he wouldn't lash out as he usually did.

"Li, Syaoran..." he grumbled, without looking at her.

"Nice to meet you Li," she replied. So polite. However, he sensed something else in her words, and unintentionally whirled around to speak with her. The gathered people gasped a little, and stared at him.

"Kinomoto, yeah?"

"That's right. You can call me Sakura though, if you like." He scowled, and shook his head. "That's fine. I really don't mind."

"What did you say, at the start of the lesson, about a 'master'?" he hissed, glaring at her suspiciously.

She coloured a little, embarrassed more than worried she'd been ratted out. "Oh, that well..." she laughed nervously, "She insists... I'd really rather not introduce her so, but she does like to frighten people sometimes. Why do you ask Li?"

"If that's so, than what was that about a legend?"

"Sharp," she noted, smiling that irritating smile again, "That was supposed to be a compliment by the way," she added, watching him. He didn't move, so she went on disappointedly, "I suppose you won't be swayed, will you Mr Li?" He shook his head; the others were in awe. Never had Syaoran ever shown such interest in a person. Not since he was very young, and he would talk about a little girl he found in some cathedral. Much as everyone believed in magic, they'd turned their noses up at his childish story. Then came the news that his father was missing, and the little girl was all but forgotten. "Very well, have it your way. But it is one of your own legends:"

"Stop right there," he interrupted, and she let out her breath in a huff, looking up at him bewildered, "I don't want to hear any of those stupid legends again." With that, he spun around and stalked out the door. Sakura frowned. Odd boy.

Everyone was gaping at her, and she had to ask. "What are you staring at?"

"You!" Chiharu cried, "Li doesn't talk to _anyone_."  
"Oh? I thought it was a terrible start... why doesn't he like your legends? They're fascinating."

"Because, Li doesn't go the way we do. He doesn't believe in any of this, and besides, when he was really young, his father disappeared. Some fool created a legend about it, and he's hated them ever since," Naoko explained, "Never mind though."

"That's terrible," Sakura said, "I never met my mother. She left us when I was 3."

"Left you?"

"Uh... sorry, I mean, um..." she sighed, "Forget it."

"Fine, fine. But, just be careful what you say around Li. He's going to be the lord around here some day."

Sakura nodded, "Now _that_ I _was_ aware of, Rika."

"Really?"

Her usually cheerful face melted into a knowing smirk. "Oh, it's just something I learnt some time ago." She changed back in an instant, "Besides, it has to do with 'master's' wishes."

"Who is 'master'?"

Sakura picked up her bag, and the others followed suit, as they left the class room and headed out to lunch. "Don't worry about it. She's not really a 'master'. But she may as well be, since I do almost everything she tells me to eventually. She ended up coming to call me her... pet. That's pretty much how it happened. Anyway, she does like to be mysterious, so I won't say her name. But I like her very much, and I haven't seen her in a while. I rather miss her... she's supposed to be here."

"Cheer up Kinomoto!" Yamazaki encouraged. Somehow they had come to a mutual agreement to continue to refer to each other using surnames. "I'm sure we'll find her. What does she look like?"

"Well..." she began, but was interrupted when a golden haired boy crashed into her, knocking her to the ground.

"Sorry, sorry!" they both cried, bowing to each other and only succeeding in smashing heads.

"Ow..." Sakura moaned.

"I didn't see you there and..." the boy began. Another boy, this one with jet black, curly locks stepped up beside him.

"Keroberous, just help her up already."

The blonde gasped, shaking his head apologetically as he offered a hand. "I'm sorry miss, really."

"No, that's fine...?"

"Keroberous, but you can just call me Kero."

"Kero... I wasn't watching either. Guess we should both be a little more careful." He smiled.

"Yes. Oh! This is Spinel," he indicated the boy beside him, "But..." a mischeivious smirk played about Kero's lips, "Just call him Suppie."

"Oi!" 'Suppie' cried, but it didn't stop Sakura from using the name. Somehow, it suited him, and was much cuter. They all grinned, as the others introduced themselves. Sakura got a funny feeling about Kero and Suppie... like they knew more about her than she thought. And that they were a lot more like her too...

"What's with this gathering?" a voice interrupted, and Sakura looked up from her conversation. Li was back, attracted by the crowd. He didn't look particularly annoyed, but he didn't look happy either. A sad smile hung on her lips, as she thought of what she knew about the boy.

"We were just talking Li. Care to join us?"

He frowned, shaking his head. "No." He looked distractedly over her head, and Sakura turned slightly to see the spires of the abandonded cathedral behind them, peeking over the trees. "Actually I... I might just go home. I don't feel so well."

She nodded, pretending she believed him. She wasn't a perceptive person, but for once, she felt wise. "Ok Li. See you tomorrow?"

He didn't answer, marching through them and out the gates. She was in awe of the fact he could just do that; so disrespectful an action certainly wasn't tolerated where she came from. She wondered whether he really was heading for his home, or whether, as she suspected, he would go to the cathedral. Perhaps she would stop off there on her way home herself; after all, it was just the sort of place where her 'master' just might be drifting about, waiting for her. Maybe.

She certainly hoped so...

---

"Miss Kinomoto...?" she blinked, shaking her concerns away and coming back down to Earth.

"Sorry, what was that?" Yamazaki raised his eyebrows at her, and shrugged.

"Oh, we were just asking if you wanted to come with us to the theatre?" Chiharu said, "But you sort of spaced out..."

"Sorry. As much as I would like to, I think my brother would be very worried if I don't get home soon. I also wanted to take a peek around the old cathedral, so I should probably hurry. Maybe next time, ok?"

"The old cathedral?" Suppie muttered, "But why on Earth...?"

Sakura turned her gaze to him, and something about the look she gave him cut the end of his sentence right off. "Suppie, I'm merely curious. Doesn't it have a history of some kind?"

Naoko giggled, "It's more or less Li's history."

"How do you mean?"

"The only time Li ever showed any interest in things like magic, was when a few years back, he claimed to have found some weird little girl inside the cathedral. He used to go back there in the afternoons, isolating himself. Even after the news of his father's disappearance. He would say, 'the two things are connected' and run off, hoping he'd see one or the other."

"Does he still go there?" she asked, feeling a swell of pity for the boy.

"Not really. Sometimes. But as I said, Li really distanced himself from other people his age. Nowadays, I think only his cousin really gets to talk to him, and only because she's family," Rika finished sadly. It wasn't gossip, Sakura realised. They were all genuinely worried about the amber eyed boy.

"Well, that's horrible," Sakura whispered, "Still, maybe if I go to the cathedral, _I_ might meet a strange little girl." In fact, she was desperately hoping that she would do just that. Her 'master' was such a hassle sometimes. "So, I'll see you later, ok?" They waved good bye and continued on their way to the theatre, while she hurried along the winding track to the old cathedral, no longer used by the townspeople.

It was a beautiful place, she guessed as she stepped hesitantly through the brittle doors. It could use some repairs, but that was no matter. As she approached the altar at the front of the hall, colours danced across her face from the huge windows. She studied the pattern, and was pleased with what she saw. The windows depicted an angelic woman, a woman Sakura recognised from a long time ago. But she said nothing, just allowing the woman's tender smile to soothe her. The window meant a lot to her; starting with the knowledge that she was on the right track.

_BANG!_

She whipped around, watching the doors swing back and forth, just to the left of her. An angry boy stood, glowering at her. "Hi there, Li," Sakura greeted, turning back to the window.

"Kinomoto. What are you doing here?" he spat.

"Admiring the lovely glasswork," she replied coolly, "Now, I wonder if you can answer a question for me; when was this window made, do you suppose?"

"How the hell should I know?" he growled, still glaring at her. She was feeling distinctly uncomfortable now. "I don't know everything."

"I thought perhaps you might have known, since I was told you often visit this place."

"It architecture is not what draws me here," he snapped.

"I see... I'm sorry I asked then. Actually, I came here rather hoping that a friend of mine would be waiting for me but... it seems I was mistaken. Sorry again, Li."

"A friend of yours?" he asked, slightly curious and she knew it.

"Yes. Have you seen her?"

"I thought I saw someone skulking around a moment ago, but I assumed that was you. Why would your friend be here anyway?"

"We like places like this," Sakura said, "They... sort of attract us, maybe. Oh well, suppose that skulking person was me. I won't waste time standing around waiting for her, she'll only want to torture me anyway..."

"Torture you?" the sting in his words was rapidly vanishing, replaced by a tinge of concern. Sakura laughed.

"Oh, it's not so bad. I just prefer she find a new hobby, that's all." Her eyes once more returned to the window, unbidden. Syaoran followed her gaze, also admiring the angel figure.

"She's been here," he said quietly, "Since I was born. But the cathedral is much older than that."

"I thought so..." the girl sounded horribly saddened, "Too late," she added, straightening. "Thankyou, Li. I better keep moving, my brother will have a fit if I don't get there soon. Enjoy the evening." She began to move outside, but at that moment, there was a high-pitched squeal of delight, and the two jumped, turning their gaze to the pulpit, where a tall young girl was standing.

"Sakura-chan! How could you even think of not waiting for me?" she wailed, scurrying down to envelop the brunette in a hug. Syaoran examined the second girl; long wavy purple-black hair, violet eyes and very pale skin. "Now my pet, what are you doing in that adorable uniform?"

Sakura winced. "Hi there, Tomoyo..." she muttered. "Well, I can't really discuss it right now..." she indicated Syaoran with a brief glance. Tomoyo stiffened, and turned a searching glare onto him. Then she broke into a smile.

"He's cute!"

"Tomoyo!"

"Well he is!"  
"Tomoyo!!" Syaoran felt very, very uncomfortable.

"Sakura, he's just like that boy from-mmph!" Sakura slapped her palm across her friend's mouth, muffling her next words. She was blushing.

"Tomoyo-chan," she stuttered, releasing the still chattering girl.

"And... say, what's his name anyway?"

"Li, Syaoran," he informed her, sweatdropping at her constant hype.

"Eeeeek!!! Sakura, Sakura, the name is the same!!"

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "The same as what?"

"Come on, don't pretend."

"I'm not. Really. All I remember from this story, is that there was a boy somewhere. I don't remember anything else you psycho, no matter how many times you tell it to me! How am I supposed to know if he looks the same?"

Syaoran was very confused now, for obvious reasons. Just what was going on here? "Whoa!" he cut in, "Slow down already. What's going on here?"

The girls nervously glanced at each other, then back at him.

"Well?" he demanded. "As the future ruler of Mahou, I order you to tell me who the hell this girl is!" he pointed wildly at Tomoyo.

"Hm," Tomoyo sighed, "He sounded so professional until right at the end there. However, I know I should abide by his wishes, right Sakura?" Sakura nodded, "I wouldn't want to offend. My name, is Daidouji, Tomoyo. I am Sakura's keeper, and I'm doing my job by watching over her. It is my hope to claim the role of her brother, Toya's keeper as well. But that is most likely wishful thinking on my part, for his keeper is already a very capable young man, right Sakura?"

Sakura reddened, and nodded vigorously, "H-hai, Tomoyo."

"That's all very well and good, but what on Earth is a keeper?" Syaoran interrupted again.

"A guardian, of sorts. Is that what they'd call it here, do you think?"

"Sort of. I said you were my master, though." Tomoyo giggled, obviously pleased.

"This is just weird," Syaoran grumbled, "I must be dreaming. It's because I got that weird feeling this morning, isn't it? It's the same thing all over again. But I..." he frowned, staring at the two girls again, "I don't want anything more to do with this weirdness," he said, and abruptly stormed out of the cathedral.

Tomoyo watched him go for a moment, and then turned back to Sakura. _'Like before,'_ she thought, _'So, if Sakura returns with me now, will she remember today's events? It cannot possibly be a coincedence that she met him again. No, there is no doubt that it was her fate to meet with him today. Perhaps he can help her find them.'_

"Tomoyo, he's long gone. Didn't you want to know what I was wearing this uniform for?" Sakura interrupted her straying thoughts.

"Oh, yes! Please, tell me everything. I haven't seen you in years."

"I haven't seen you in months."

"Of course. The time flux," Tomoyo said knowingly. Sakura merely blinked, and nodded agreeably. Tomoyo knew what she was talking about. All Sakura knew was that her realm and this realm ran on very different schedules. Schedules that were certainly not permanant. For example, Sakura had been absent from her own realm's point of view for a total of 2 years. But to her, in _this_ realm, it had only been a month. That's not to say that it always ran like this. If Sakura were to return to her realm, for just a few days, she could return to this realm and find several years had passed. It was a time flux with absolutely no pattern or order. It just warped.

"So, explain Sakura-chan."

She took a deep breath, readying herself. "Well, I'm just following otau-san's and your instructions Tomoyo. Blending with the population. This is the town I was drawn to when I appeared, is that a crime? Besides..." she pointed to the glass window, "I appear to be well on the way. As a foreign member of the school, I'm sort of on a longer leash."

"A retractable leash," a male voice said, and they started, eyes seeking the speaker. Bingo. Syaoran, it seemed, had not left at all.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, a little nervous. Had he heard everything?

Yes, indeed Syaoran had. But he made no comment to indicate this fact, despite his overpowering fascination. These girls were destined for an asulym. "I mean what I say. You claimed you're on a longer leash as a foreigner. True. However, as a foreigner, you're even less trustworthy than, say, a person who loathes these customs is. So I'm saying that no matter how long your leash is, it's a retractable one. And they'll keep you pinned to their sides, a little lap dog."

"Lap dog!" she cried, slightly insulted, "How would you know?"

"Because that's what everyone here is. My mother is temporarily in charge, in the public eye. But even she's just a puppet for the priests. I don't mind them having beliefs. What I do mind..." he stepped closer, glaring at them, "Is that they shove those beliefs on those who want nothing to do with it. That they pin you to this town, when all you want is to run. I heard you two, and I need to know if you're going to be just as bad as they are."

They exchanged a nervous glance. "Li-kun," Tomoyo began, "I'm afraid to say we have nothing to do with you, or your priests. It is this," she waved a hand at the window, "That we are interested in, and that is all. Sakura's -"

"Hush, Tomoyo! He can mind his own business, and we'll mind ours," Sakura cut her off. Tomoyo looked surprised.

"That's unlike you."

"It's none of my business this time. Not that I don't care, just that interference at this point is totally unhelpful." She looked at the ground as she spoke, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"Sakura, that's very unlike you..." she sounded slightly concerned.

Sakura sighed, "Listen, Tomoyo, can we just talk about this another time? Please?"

"Enough!" Syaoran cut in, drawing their attention once again to him, "Tell me exactly what's going on, right now!"

"Well, Li-kun… it's really complicated. And it's not something that effects you so…" Sakura started.

"Wrong. Since you're here, it most certainly concerns me. So tell me just what you're up to, and what you were going on about just now."

Sakura licked her lips anxiously. "T-tomoyo… what do we do?"

"It's unfortunate, but unavoidable. He's the authority here, and though it's a shame he overheard us, I doubt he'll believe you anyway."

She nodded, and turned back to him. "Ok Li. Basically…" an idea occurred to her that she had not thought of the begin with. "It's got a lot to do with magic."

"So?"

"Well, I was under the impression that you wanted nothing to do with magic. I can assure you that if we tell you everything, without a doubt you'll be swept up in just the sort of thing you want to avoid."

He hesitated, but apparently his loyalty to the people of his town pushed him on. If these two girls were a threat (doubtful, but still possible) then he had to find out about it, and solve the problem. "Just tell me, Kinomoto."

She swallowed again, "Sure Li… I'll demonstrate, shall I?"

He shrugged, and gestured for her to do so. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and raised her arms. "Tomoyo, if you please?"

"Feel free to go ahead Sakura. If you let me film it!"

"Do I ever get the option to refuse?" she muttered, and clasped her hands above her head. "Let's begin… um, what should I do?"

"How about…" Tomoyo whispered something briefly in Sakura's ears. The latter coloured slightly, before nodding, and continuing.

A small orb of light appeared at about neck level in front of her, and she lowered her arms as though holding it. She was muttering at an alarming rate beneath her breath, and the orb quivered violently, thrashing around as if trying to escape her grasp. She furrowed her brows in concentration. At one point it almost escaped her 'grip', lurching forwards towards Syaoran, like a bullet. But she captured it once more, and slowly the light began to pulse, fading to reveal its contents: a single flower. Syaoran had never seen a flower like this, and Sakura took it, passing it to him for inspection, breathing hard.

"I've never…" she puffed, "Tried to transport something before…"

"Transport?" he repeated, staring at the flower in amazement.

"That flower does not grow in this world… or realm. It comes from where I do, and I brought it here. Tomoyo said it was better to get one from there rather than just creating a flower, because you could've assumed it was some new invention… well, it's hard to explain. To be blunt, Tomoyo, my brother and I are here, because we're looking for someone. That's the basic gist of why we're here but… oh, it's so much more than that. I won't go into it though, the whole point is, Li, we're not a threat. Please enjoy that flower: it will never die. It's an eternity flower… it is known to extend the life span of the holder, and if its petals are crushed into a paste, it can heal severe wounds."

"Heal?" he snorted, "I doubt it. But it's pretty, so I suppose I'll hold onto it… thankyou."

Sakura smiled, and waved it off. Syaoran again studied the flower: it looked a lot like a cherry blossom, though it was dark green, with a centre he noted was hard, like stone, and sticky, like honey. The centre was bright pink. Eternity flower…

"So, Li-kun, are we safe?" Tomoyo asked him, putting her camera in her bag. "I promise you that we're not going to cause any harm, alright?"

He nodded slowly. "Fine… I suppose." He checked the light, which was fading to a soft orange light. He should head home. Turning back to the girls, he gasped as he saw the light on Sakura's hair. He couldn't help it, it was a breath-taking image. But he quickly gathered himself, and ran his fingers through his hair, a habit he had developed, and a dead give-away for when he was nervous. Luckily for him, neither girl was aware of this fact. Yet.

"I guess..." he cleared his throat, looking directly at Tomoyo in an attempt to ignore the girl whom he now couldn't see as anything but pretty, "I'm going to head home... hope you find..." his eyes narrowed, "Well, whoever, right?"

As he reached the door, Sakura called out, "See you tomorrow Li-kun! Don't forget to study for that test!!"

He flinched. 1, the test he still had to study for. 2, she was _still_ going to attend his school? Be in his class? He took a steadying breath. _'Idiot,'_ he told himself, _'What's wrong with that?'_ Now looking back at her, without the sun, she wasn't so devastatingly beautiful! "Stupid sunlight," he muttered, causing the girls to look at him confusedly.

"Eh?" Tomoyo said.

"Hoe?" Sakura squeaked.

_'Eep! Why the hell does she have to be so... so... I won't think it! I won't!'_ He shook his head furiously, and darted out the door, racing away from the two, possibly-but-he-doubted-really-magic-even-if-they-made-mystery-flowers girls.

Sakura turned to Tomoyo. "What do you think was wrong with him?" she asked, frowning. And Tomoyo had a pretty good idea. But no, she would not ruin the surprise for the young girl, who was tapping her foor, trying to think of something she might have said to cause offense.

"No idea, Sakura-chan. Now..." there was a glint in the violet-eyed woman's eyes that Sakura didn't entirely like. "Of course I brought you a new outfit."

"H-hoeee..."

---

**AN: **Blergh, tell me honestly, am I giving too much away? There's a lot more to say, but it still feels like you found out a bit much...

Don't blame me for the lame name (eternity flower? what was I thinking?) or writing. Blame Avenue Q. It's sooo hard to write responsibly when you're listening to that weirdness!! Oh, and I'd like to point out that Japanese is _not_ the language Syaoran speaks. Nor is it Chinese. Mahou is not a real town, so let's assume it's got it's own language based on magic. Mahou is a Japanese word for magic. So, Syaoran has no idea why they occasionally add 'kun' or 'chan' to names. He also doesn't know what they're saying when they speak Japanese. I won't be saying what time period this is set in, you decide.

Now, if you think Syaoran's attraction is too sudden, I'd like to add that because Yukito is absent, Syaoran can freely fall in love ^_^ his attraction to Yukito, in the anime, was also very sudden, even if it was based on his magic. I still think Syaoran is meant to be awed by Sakura in this. And, Syaoran will not be attracted to anyone else in the course of this story, though he will meet Yukito... -grins- I have a scenario all planned out for that.

Any further questions, please ask in a R-E-V-I-E-W. Oh, look at that emphazised word, I wonder what it's trying to tell you...?

Kura


	3. Sakura's Keeper

_A raven haired beauty stood beside her best friend, moonlight swirling around them. "Are you alright?" she asked her friend._

_"W-what happened?" the second girl asked, looking around in terror._

_"I don't know. You vanished. We were at the shrine. I asked your brother what happened, he suggested that you'd followed your mother..."_

_"To the human realm?"_

_"Hai."_

_"Well I don't remember anything if I did... except... there was a boy..." she squinted, striving to recall more, "A boy called Syaoran..." and then she promptly fainted. Tomoyo caught her, and sighed._

_"It's a pretty name," she murmured. "But if you're going to take trips in the future Sakura, please take me with you. How is your keeper supposed to do her job if you keep running off like this?" she shook her head, moderately amused. "So, you met a little boy, right? Well, in the words of the Teishu Kagi, 'there is no such thing as coincedence. All there is, is fate.' So, please excuse me, Sakura, for examining your memories while they're still there. It would do well for someone to know what's happening, should this fate continue." Tomoyo rested her palm on Sakura's forehead, watching breif flashes. Most of what she saw was irrelevant, and displeasing. Then she came upon an ornate cathedral, and a worried little boy._

_"He was intelligent," Tomoyo whispered, "The Priests of Mahou are most... unpleasant. I owe him thanks." She shook her head, "But that's not the major problem here... I need to know. The Teishu Kagi will know... I'll simply have to ask. What will I offer her, Sakura, as a gift?"_

_"Mmph..." was all the girl could say._

_"I know! It's exactly what's necessary. I can afford to... it's my role, as keeper of the Kagi of Henkou... I will give her... my-"_

**Chapter Three: Sakura's Keeper **

"Good morning Li-k... Li!" Sakura cheered, taking her seat in front of the scowling boy.

"M-morning, Kinomoto."

"Good morning Li," Naoko greeted, nodding in respect and sitting in front of Sakura.

"Yanagisawa."

Sakura blinked, then turned around in her seat. "Li, isn't that a little rude? Don't you ever talk to people??"

Naoko's eyes widened, and she mouthed a 'no, Sakura', which went unnoticed by said girl. Syaoran arched an eyebrow. "No, Kinomoto. There's no need to make small talk with anyone."

"Well, sure, there's no _need_ to. But come on, talk to her! Naoko is a very interesting person, come on," she urged, and he let out a frustrated snarl.

"Kinomoto! Leave me alone. Didn't you agree to do just that yesterday?"

She looked taken aback. "Oh yes. I'm sorry. But I just felt like we were sort of friends, for a moment..."

He snorted, and she sighed. "Oh well. I guess not then..."

Naoko tugged at Sakura's sleeve. "Sakura! You can't talk to Li like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because he's the Lord's son!"

Syaoran growled, and Naoko winced, lowering her voice. "Li doesn't like it when people mention his father, and as we said yesterday, he really keeps to himself, and likes it that way. Talking to him like that is disrespectful anyway..."

"But Naoko... he was speaking disrespectfully too!"

"No, he wasn't. Trust me, that's polite coming from Li; we greet and depart, that's all there is to it."

"He... really doesn't talk to other people then?"

Naoko's eyes sparkled a little, "Apart from you, it seems Sakura."

Rika and Chiharu joined the conversation, after paying a respectful 'hello' to Syaoran. "Yeah, so do you think he likes you?" Chiharu asked.

"Likes me?"

"Yeah. Do you think he..." Chiharu giggled, "Wants to go out with you?"

Sakura was totally confused. "Go out with me? Like, to the park or something?"

"Maybe. On a date."

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed, "That's what you mean! I'm sorry, but even if that were the case, it wouldn't be possible."

Syaoran couldn't help being intrigued. Was this something to do with her supposed 'magic'?

"Impossible? He's not your type? Though I can see you might think he's a little stand-offish," Rika said, "It's really not the case. Li is pretty nice."

"No, it's not that. I don't exactly have a 'type'... it's just that, Li and I are practically on seperate planets," she tried to explain honestly, but not directly.

"Wrong wave-length... I see. But how'd you come to that conclusion? He's barely spoken to you-"

"Please take your seats!" the teacher called, having arrived, and Sakura thanked whatever stars were watching over her. That was too close. "Today, we'll be starting with maths."

Sakura let out a yelp of despair. She was terrible at this. _'Tomoyo said this place studied magic! She never mentioned that they did _maths_ too!'_ Fortunately, her yelp was hidden by the groans of displeasure from the other students.

Syaoran, on the other hand, not only enjoyed but succeeded in this subject. It was something just a little distant from magic. Even when they tried to connect it by saying things like the spells in which numbers are used do this or that. His pleasure, however, was lessened today. He couldn't work out exactly why.

As he opened his workbook to the correct page, he found it. "You'll be working in pairs for this task, so choose a partner quickly," Mr Terada went on.

Chiharu and Yamazaki grabbed hands, and Rika and Naoko. Several guys attempted to approach Sakura, but another person would interrupt them. Syaoran knew it. He was doomed to team up with... _her_. He shuddered, and it seemed as though time had become excruciatingly slow as Sakura turned to him with a nervous expression, and offered to pair with him.

"Fine," he grunted, and she shuffled over to sit with him.

"I'm sorry Li... I'm awful at maths..."

He felt a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach, and groaned. Oh damn, he was actually _pitying _her. "D-don't worry. I'm... pretty good at it."

She brightened up at once. "Really? Amazing!"

He felt horribly awkward now. "I-it's not really... _amazing_. It's alright, I suppose..."

"Say, Li-kun," she automatically added her weird suffix, a suffix he found strangely suited him, "Would you mind helping me out a bit with my maths? Where I come from, it's really not all that necessary, but I still fell behind. Please?"

_'No!'_ his mind screamed desperately, _'You're not her tutor!!'_ "S-sure... K-kinomoto... I could... do that." _'I-D-I-O-T!! Slap! I'll beat you mentally for this!!!'_ He recoiled a little as he felt his mind let loose on the inner walls of his skull, and he realised that he might have that strange 'schizophrenia' that the outer world had been talking about. Probably.

"Ah! Thanks so much!" she cried, grinning from ear to ear, and turning to the current task. "Let's see... we're measuring heights and stuff... I can sorta do that."

_'How could you be incapable of _this_?'_ he thought, but sighed resignedly, and took the tape measure the teacher had given them. "Stand against the wall," he ordered.

"Huh?"

He resisted the urge to slap his forehead. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Stand against the wall Kinomoto. Flat feet. I have to take the measurements in the book."

"Oh!" she obeyed, standing straight, and stiffly against the back wall. Syaoran took the tape measure and a ruler. Sticking the ruler flat against her head, her bent down, and set to measuring. It was all going along perfectly fine until part (_f)_ of the exercise...

"Measure the... waist line." Fine. In theory. But in practical use, this meant encircling her waist with the tape measure, and in doing so, his arms would... He felt his cheeks heating up just thinking about it. _'Help!'_ he prayed, _'Ring the bell! Cancel the task! Anything!'_

No miracle presented itself, and Syaoran turned mechanically to face the young girl, and asked if she couldn't do this herself. She tried. He could see that she really tried. It was a dismal failure, as the tape measure snapped on her wrist, and she hissed with pain. "H-here," he finally said, taking the metal strip, and telling her to hold it where her navel was. She did so, and he reached around her, surprised that the heat from his face wasn't melting the windows. As soon as he finished, he swore he felt steam escaping his ears comically, and shot to his desk, burying his head in his arms.

"Um... Li-kun... we've still got to measure _you_."

His head hit the desk. It hurt.

And if measuring _her_ had been bad, then this was _hell_. She couldn't reach the top of his head at first, and tripped over her feet, leaning against him. And then, when he tried to measure his own waist, he fumbled and dropped the measuring tape on his foot. She ended up doing it, and held on longer than he felt was absolutely necessary.

Only when she'd written the measurement down did the bell finally ring, and he raced out the door, smoke on his trails.

"Hoe?" Sakura mumbled, as her new friends gathered around her, also staring after the peculiar boy.

"Wow," Yamazaki noted, "Li's never behaved like that before."

"Especially not in maths," Suppie added, "He quite likes the subject usually..."

"Proof!" Chiharu cheered, "He obviously has a crush on Sakura!"

"Eh!?" Sakura squealed, "No way!"

"Yes way! Come on, he was red as a tomato, I saw it. Didn't you?" she asked Naoko, who nodded, a wicked glint in her eyes.

"He was so awkward too. It's kind of cute."

Sakura considered the lesson just passed. _'He did seem kind of muddled today,'_ she admitted, _'He stuttered a bit. But I didn't see him blushing or anything. I don't think they're right somehow, but still... something was wrong with him.'_ After a little more thought, she couldn't help agreeing on the 'cute' comment too. Yes, it had been a little sweet. But it more worried her than anything.

"I think," she said at last, "I should go and talk to him."

"Hold on a minute!" a high voice yelled, and they all turned to see a raven haired girl running towards them.

"Tomoyo-chan!!" Sakura cried, "What are you doing here???"

Tomoyo hurried over and whispered in Sakura's ear. "I'm posing as a student of course! I just used a little magic; they all think I arrived here yesterday along with you."

She blinked. "Oh! Right. But why?"

"To do my job silly. I'm not your," she scanned the gathering for a split second, "Master for nothing, am I?" Sakura knew she meant 'keeper'. But after all, she herself had introduced her friend as her master. It was pretty true too.

"Okay. So, coming with me?"

"To do what?"

"I need to talk to Li-kun. He's acting weird, and I need to see what's wrong with him."

"But Sakura..." Tomoyo smiled, "You said we weren't going to interfere with him."

She slumped. Oh yeah. She wasn't used to staying out of other people's problems; she wasn't nosy, just a good person who wanted to help people. But today she'd been twice reminded of her decision. "Demo... I want to help him Tomoyo-chan. He was acting really weird, right guys?"

The group nodded, and Chiharu mentioned the blushing. Tomoyo was instantly friends with them, and also knew exactly what Syaoran's problem was.

"Sakura-chan, I don't think _you_ talking to Li is going to help right now."

"Why?" she asked, noting Tomoyo's advice.

"Because, you're the last person he would want to see right now. However, if you're really worried, I can go and speak to him. After all, I know him about as well as you do, right?"

Sakura hesitated, then nodded. "Mm! Thankyou, Tomoyo!" she smiled, and as Tomoyo left, Chiharu turned to her and asked; 'what does 'chan' and 'kun' mean?'

"Oh... it's something we do where I'm from. Sorry..."

"Oh! I think it's sorta cute! So how does it work...?"

Tomoyo didn't catch the rest of the conversation, approaching the tree where she could see Syaoran sitting. "Good morning Li-kun," she said, sitting down gracefully beside him.

"Daidouji, wasn't it? What are you doing here?" he didn't sound very interested.

"My job. Honestly, I don't quite understand why people find my presence so questionable. You and Sakura are so alike."

He stiffened, but quickly relaxed, frowning. "Your job. What does it involve, exactly?"

"It's natural to be curious. But I'm afraid I can't fully satisfy your question. I'm not entirely sure myself, but I know it means protecting our..." she searched for a word, "I don't like the terms you people use for this. But for me, it means looking after Sakura. And I want to protect her anyway, not to mention the uniforms here are very cute. A little bit 'sailor' if you ask me," she giggled, and turned to face him. "Li-kun, you don't have anyone you want to protect?"

He paused, thinking about it. "Yeah, I do. My cousin, Meilin... her parents died just a month ago, so we're looking after her now. I don't want her to get hurt. That's what you mean, right?"

"Yes. I'm sorry to hear of the loss, but I'm glad that she has someone looking out for her. It's always worrying when people have to fend for themselves alone. Does anyone protect _you_ Li-kun?"

"N-not really."

"That's not very good." They were silent, then, "Li-kun, I've been told you were acting strangely just now. Sakura was very worried about you, and wanted to come and talk to you. I persuaded her to allow me to do so; I think that you don't want to see her right now. Am I right?"

"Dai... Daidouji," he turned to her, his brows creased in confusion, "If you want to ask me why I acted the way I did, then don't bother, because I don't know."

"No, Li-kun, that is not my intention. After all, I have a pretty good idea already. But I do have a question for you."

"Hm?"

"Tell me Li-kun... do you dislike..." she lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes, "Change?"

"Eh?"

Before she could further explain, the bell rung for class to resume, and she rose, eyes glittering. "Shall we go?"

---

For one reason or another, Syaoran found his eyes wandering to Sakura's back every few minutes. He couldn't understand why, but he knew that looking at her made him uncomfortable. _'If it makes me uncomfortable, why do I keep doing it?'_ There was another question nagging at him now, and to distract himself from Sakura, he thought about how he could answer it. _'Tell me Li-kun... do you dislike... change?'_

As class ended, Sakura stood up and began to talk to him. He still felt awkward, but was able to hide it this time. "Li-kun, are you okay? I was worried about you because you being strange in maths..." she certainly _looked_ worried.

"I'm fine."

"Really? Good. So I can stop worrying then? Did Tomoyo talk to you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she did. Which reminds me..." he turned to find the girl in question standing right beside them with a peculiar device in her hands. "Ack!" he cried, toppling off his seat.

"Sorry Li-kun."

"Li-kun, are you okay?" Sakura asked, kneeling beside him.

"Y-yeah... is that thing magic?" he pointed to the device.

"No, this is technology. It comes from your realm, but of course not this town," Tomoyo explained, "This is called a video camera, and I can record events onto a tape to be viewed at a later time."

"Neat," he replied, studying it, "But don't let the priests see you with that. They'll confiscate it for sure."

Her smile faltered slightly, "The priests? Of course, of course."

"Anyway, I have an answer to your question... I don't like it. Change, I mean."

She pursed her lips. "Yes, I thought so. But I wonder... why everyone seems to answer like that. After all... change in physical form is well loved, and quite a blessing. But when people think of changes, they always shy away..."

"What do you mean Tomoyo?" Sakura asked, and Syaoran nodded agreement. She wasn't making sense.

"Sakura-chan..." Tomoyo rose her eyebrows, "I'm surprised that you don't know. I'll have to speak to her about that."

"Who?" the two on the floor asked in unison.

"It's no one, don't worry. But Li-kun, please try to work on that dislike. Because change can be a very good thing. Not always, but it's always been so good to me."

They turned to each other, shrugging confusedly. Tomoyo was being all deep and secretive now, and they just didn't get her. "I don't get it," Syaoran said.

"Me either," Sakura replied, "But Tomoyo can't keep secrets for long, so..."

_'Can't keep secrets?'_ Tomoyo thought, _'That's a lie, Sakura. I'm the best... at keeping secrets, don't you know?'_

"Urm... Tomoyo? Hello?" Sakura called, and Tomoyo snapped out of it.

"Oh, I'm sorry Sakura, did you say something?"

Her friend tilted her head, and checked her temperature. "... No fever... Li-kun, is she ok?"

"Why are ya askin' me!?"

"Mou! Don't yell at me!"

"Shut up Kinomoto!"

"Mean! Li-kun, stop it!"

"What do you expect from me? Flowers?"

Tomoyo giggled, watching the two argue. Sakura wasn't really angry, just teasing, which Tomoyo found highly amusing, as she'd never seen the girl attempt it before. But she had to admit, Syaoran's reaction was funny. He was bright red, most likely from anger, and shouting at her now, drawing a crowd.

"Li-kun, why are you being so mean to me? What did I ever do to _you_?"

"What did you...? Oh for sanity's sake!! How about the whole incident in the cathedral for starters??"

"Incident? You make it sound like I hit you or something Li-kun!" Sakura pouted, a devastating weapon. He weakened, visibly slumping, and backing away, an expression of torture on his face. She was too adorable!

"Stop that!" he bared his teeth, and in a panic, shoved through the crowd, escaping the pouting girl.

"Li-kun!" Sakura called, dashing after him, "Don't run off when I'm talking to you!"

They skidded to a halt outside the gates, and Syaoran whirled around, glaring at her. "What do you want with me, Kinomoto?"

"Li-kun..."

"Ja ne, Li-kun!" someone called as they walked through the gate, waving. They looked to see it was Rika, exiting the school.

"Li... kun?" Syaoran repeated dumbly, "But that's what... they call me."

Sakura shuffled her feet, "About that. They thought the suffixes were cute so... they asked me how it worked, and a few other words in our language."

"What does 'ja ne' mean?"

She grinned, "It means 'see you'."

He looked completely stunned. "That's..." his eyes softened, "Wow."

"What?" Tomoyo asked, catching up to them, and still filming.

"Well, they always, without fail have said 'goodbye Li.' It's almost like they didn't want to see me the next day. No one's ever said 'see you'."

"A promise," Sakura said, "That they'll see you again. Because they want to, right? In that case..." she took his hand, and gave it a comforting squeeze, "Ja ne, Li-kun!" She released his hand, took Tomoyo's, and hurried away from him.

_'What the... my heart. My heart is pounding,'_ Syaoran thought, clutching his chest. Several more people passed him with the new 'ja ne' to farewell him now. He heard them all, and counted them. 8. 8 people, including Sakura, wanted to see him again.

His lips twitched in a faint smile, and he turned to his home with a lighter perspective. Tomoyo was right, in a way. Change wasn't always such a bad thing, was it?

---

"Ohayoo Sakura-chan!" someone called.

"Ohayoo!" the Sakura echoed. A second girl trailed in behind her.

Amber eyes darted to the entrance of the class room, unaware of what they were doing. The owner of these eyes was secretly pleased to see the her again, though he would never admit it. "Good morning, Kinomoto," he said, wanting to greet her before she did for once, wanting to show her that she was having _some_ effect on his attitude.

"Morning Li-kun. How are you today?" For several days now Sakura had attended the school, and Syaoran was very happy to note that the other students were warming to him with Sakura's appearance. He wondered why it made him glad. Hadn't he wanted nothing to do with them, and their outdated beliefs? Hadn't he been happy that they paid him no heed, apart from respectful gestures? Yes. But that was before this girl appeared.

"I'm... not too bad."

"Really? I'm nervous! I know I'm gonna fail that test, no matter how much I reviewed the work..."

Syaoran paled. Oh yeah. The test. The test he'd completely forgotten about, intent on this weird feeling in his chest. The feeling in his chest he'd tried to ask Tomoyo about (maybe it was some sort of magic?) but she'd just burst into fits of laughter, saying that 'sure, it's a spell Sakura has, without even knowing it, cast upon you, Li-kun'. He still didn't understand her, but she smirked every time she caught him looking at Sakura.

What? He wasn't allowed to look at a pretty girl? Not that he, personally saw her as _pretty_. Or cute. Not at all, it was just an opinion some people expressed... people who had mysteriously received black eyes recently.

"Test? Oh man..."

"You didn't study, did you Li?" Tomoyo asked.

He nodded mutely. "Oh no!" Sakura squealed, "Want us to help you out?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sakura chewed her lip. "I mean, I suppose technically it would be cheating but..."

"Uh, no, Kinomoto I don't - "

"Ok, well, we're not doing the test until after lunch. So wanna study a bit before then? I'm rubbish at maths, but I'm sure I can help you with the rest..."

He smiled a little. "Would you? I... it's not that I need your help!" he added, "But... you can help out. If you, you know, _really_ want to."

Tomoyo chuckled, and backed away, leaving them to chat in peace. The smile left her face once she was out of sight. That had been close; after all, if Sakura had actually required her assisstance to 'cheat' for Syaoran... as a magical pathway, well, she might've been found out.

Tomoyo's secret. Sakura couldn't find out. She mustn't find out, at all costs!

Or... everything would be over. The Teishu Kagi had told her that. She knew it. She couldn't loose what she'd paid for, because...

She looked up at the two in the corner again. Because if she failed...

_'Sakura... Li-kun... I'm so sorry.'_

---

**AN:** wow, actually, I'm sorta growing fond of this story now ^_^ I can pump out chapter after chapter, and it's shocking me. It's harder for me to write like this, since I've grown used to 1st person over time, and it's been a while. But I feel like I'm getting better, and I was really proud of myself for taking the focus off Syaoran and Sakura, and looking at another well-loved character for once! Tomoyo's secret, what could it be???

Let's see... um, some Japanese words you might not have known: ohayoo = morning, hai (from last chapter) = yes ummmmm ja ne, if you didn't get that, means see you... and I can't tell you what 'Teishu Kagi and Kagi of Henkou mean, because it'll give too much away ^_^. lol, now my smiley has a beauty spot... -clears throat- off topic much?

Syaoran's attraction is increasing, cute, right? Aw, he's such a lonely little boy... anyway, please review if you want more, or if you just wanna yell at me for the foolish idea, go ahead :) I am currently very recpetive to criticism, I don't know why...?

Kura


	4. Sakura's Sickness

_"Konbanwa..."_

_"Tomoyo Daidouji. I'm surprised."_

_"Gomen ne..." Tomoyo raised her head, and looked into the intimidating person's eyes, "Only I... I seem to have, at last, come to find a wish I want granted."_

_"Now I am _really_ surprised Daidouji. You have always refused."_

_"Teishu Kagi..."_

_The commanding figure, held a hand up to stop her before she began. "I already know. What will you give to me, in payment?"_

_Tomoyo swallowed, "Whatever it is that you need in exchange for the information I require. After all, it's my job as the keeper of the Henkou no Kagi to guide and protect her, isn't it?"_

_"You think that you need this knowledge for the sake of your job?"_

_"Hai."_

_"Very well, I'll take it from you. However, what I must take may effect your ability to do your job, I need you to understand that. Also, Daidouji... if Sakura ever discovers what it is I am taking from you, then..."_

_Tomoyo nodded, "Hai, Teishu Kagi. Wakarimasta."_

**Chapter Four: Sakura's Sickness**

"The cathedral is so pretty, ne Tomoyo-chan?"

Syaoran sat in the chairs, watching them studying the windows. He didn't know what they wanted from the angelic image, but it was important, and he felt it couldn't exactly hurt to help them. The test they'd worried about had, in the end, been post-poned until after the weekend, and Sakura had offered to help him over the weekend, in studying. In return, he was going to help her with her maths.

But when he'd arrived, he had met, for the first time, the mystery brother.

**Flashback:**

_Syaoran took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. Tomoyo stood behind him on the patio, camera raised. He was at Sakura's house, ready to collect her to study. Tomoyo had said; 'be careful about who answers the door, Li-kun', but he hadn't really paid attention. Anyway, how was he supposed to assure who would open the door?_

_"Yo," a deep voice said, and he looked up to see a tall man with very dark brown hair, and brown eyes. He glared at Syaoran immediately, his dislike instantaneous. "Who the hell are you, and what do you want?" he demanded._

_"I'm... Li, Syaoran, and I'm here to get Kinomoto Sakura," he said, feeling like some dorky boyfriend. He didn't like the feeling either._

_"Well go home. She's busy."_

_"Hey!" Syaoran growled, "That's a lie, this was already organized! She asked Daidouji and I to come to get her yesterday!" In the background, Tomoyo was laughing. Of course Syaoran and Toya would hate each other; Toya, like Tomoyo, was quickly able to perceive the truth about Syaoran._

_"Too bad. She didn't mention anything to m-"_

_"Onii-chan what's...? Li-kun! Morning!" Sakura rounded the corner in her house._

_"You know this gaki?"Toya asked, looking furious._

_"Yes! He's my classmate, and the son of Lady Li."_

_Toya looked even angrier, if possible. "So, what the hell does he want with you?"_

_Sakura looked puzzled, and Syaoran was shooting death glares at her brother's back. "Eh? Well... we're helping each other study for the upcoming test, of course. He's very good at maths, and you know how rubbish _I_ am at it, so... well, he offered to help, so I'm helping him with the rest. And Tomoyo's coming along too."_

_"Where are you going?" Toya went on. Sakura couldn't understand why he was being so blunt, rude, and seemed to dislike Syaoran. _

_"Where? I don't know, Li-kun, where're we going?" she turned her attention to him, leaning around her brother, who narrowed his eyes, peering at Syaoran over his shoulder._

_"Oh... uh..." he stopped glaring, seeing Sakura, and lost the location for a moment, "Well, I thought the old cathedral. You were interested in that stained-glass window, right? So I-I..." he gulped, and finally said, "I went and researched it a bit more... I thought you'd like to know some more details..." his face was positively glowing now, and no one missed it._

_"Li-kun, arigatou... I mean, thankyou... are you feeling ok? Your face is all red..." Sakura noted, and leaned closer. He flinched, stumbling backwards down the stairs, and tripping to sprawl on his back at Tomoyo's feet. "Li-kun!" Sakura cried, worry consuming her, and she darted past her brother and down the stairs to his side. "Are you really ok?"_

_"I'm..." he grit his teeth, massaging a bump on the back of his head, one eye closed in pain, "Fine, 'k? Are we going, or not?"_

_Toya scowled, and slammed the door. "Sakura!" he yelled through it, "I'm quizzing you when you come home, so you better study hard!"_

_"Hoee..." she muttered, "hai, onii-chan..."_

**:End Flashback**

And so, they'd reached the cathedral, and Sakura had been filled in on everything Syaoran knew about the window now, leaving her to study it for a while, before they hit the books.

"You said the window was made a few years before you were born?" Sakura clarified.

"Yeah. The old window smashed, so they replaced it with this one. I asked around for the guy who made it, but I couldn't find him anywhere... sorry."

She turned, flashing him her famous smile, "No, that's ok! I'm really grateful to you for going to all this trouble. Really, really, thankyou Li-kun!"

His cheeks burnt, and he ducked his head behind the seat in front of him, "S-sure, no problem..."

"Li-kun?" Tomoyo asked, bending over beside him, "Why are you hiding behind the chair?"

"Oh I-er... I thought I dropped something... wrong, I guess..." he shifted awkwardly, and Tomoyo decided to leave him alone... question him about it later.

"I think we should start working now. Onii-chan will be really mean to Li-kun and I if I do badly in the quiz he's gonna give me," Sakura said at last, "So, what will we start with? Runes? Uhhh... magic studies? History?" she made a face, "Maths?"

Syaoran stifled his amusement, and groaned. "They all sound so... depressing," he admitted, and Sakura nodded in agreement.

"How about we take a look at maths first, okay?" Tomoyo suggested, "Since Sakura needs help with that, and you do sort of understand the magic stuff, right? You just don't like it."

Syaoran clenched his fists, and gave in. "Fine. What's first, Kinomoto?"

"Um... heh heh, extended algorithms?"

"Sure, let's start." He leaned over the book, and Tomoyo sat opposite them, on the other side of the aisle, filmling. Always... filming...

"... and then, you add these two together..."

"Hoeee! Demo - I mean but - didn't we just multiply here...?"

"Yeah, they're _extended_ Kinomoto. You multiply them first, and then you add the two answers together. Understand?"

"Oh! I think so..." she looked so cute, trying so hard to understand, to concentrate.

"If you don't get it, we can start again," he muttered, but she shook her head.

"No, that's ok. I really do think I sort of get it now... besides, we've still got so much studying to do, and it's getting closer to lunch now..."

"Ok, your choice. What's next then?"

"Urm... area, perimeter, volume..." she sighed, "This is gonna take _forever_. Li-kun, let's take a break from all these numbers, my head hurts. How about we take a look at magic studies? I know you hate it, but it's easy, right?"

He shrugged, and allowed her to shove the nasty mathematics books aside, opening a thick leather bound text book, showing it to him. "Right! Spells I _can_ do, ne, Tomoyo-chan?"

"Yes Sakura." _'So can I. In theory.'_

Syaoran banged his head on the seat in front of him. He needed to stop doing that, as it was quite painful. However, this subject was just so... he slumped. Pathetic.

"Li-kun, sit up and pay attention. I mean, I _hate_ maths, and I still listened! So now it's your turn!" Sakura said determinedly. "Come on," she crooned, tugging on his sleeve. Reluctantly, he sat up, and turned to the book sitting between them.

"Chapter one," he read, "Healing... oh hell no," he groaned, "Come on Kinomoto! Do you honestly believe in this?"

"Yes, Li-kun. Of course I do, I often practise it! I know all about it. Maybe you should trust me on this one. Please, I'm begging you to concentrate!"

"Yeah, fine, whatever, just get on with it already."

"Healing is essential knowledge for obvious reasons..." she began.

---

"Man, I thought we'd _never_ finish Kinomoto," Syaoran groaned as they wandered through the town back to Sakura's house. It was about 4pm, and her brother would be furious if they were much later. On the other hand, Sakura, in a rare fit of rebelliousness, decided they were all going to go and get ice creams.

"Sorry. I'm really grateful though, that you actually had the patience to go through it all with me. Onii-chan has tried..." she looked put off.

It wasn't as if Syaoran had lost it once or twice. But he'd stuck at it, because as long as he was teaching her the maths, she wouldn't pull out the magic stuff again. Tomoyo had, for once in her life, grown bored of filming them after a while, and decided to roam the cathedral. It was old, and out of use, now that they used the shrine further into town. But it may as well have been another planet for all the times Syaoran visited.

"The bell towers are quite beautiful," Tomoyo had said, "Have you been up there, Li?"

"Eh? Oh, uh, when I was a child," Syaoran sighed, as they approached the ice cream shop, "But it never really interested me."

"Oh! Hey, Chiharu-chan, Naoko-chan, Rika-chan!" Sakura called suddenly, and Syaoran jumped, desiring nothing more than to melt into the ground. What conclusions would the three girls reach if they saw him wandering around town with these two?

To his surprise, they simply didn't notice him at first. "Hey Sakura, Tomoyo." They smiled, and that was when they noticed him, standing just apart from the girls, glaring pointedly at the ground, trying to blame all his troubles on the earth. "Li-kun!" they cried in shock, "What are you doing?"

He shifted uncomfortably, and mumbled, "Studying."

"Really?"

"Well, not anymore," Sakura amended, "We're getting ice creams, but we spent all day in the old cathedral doing maths... I'm really bad at it, but Li-kun's good so..." she smiled brightly, and they stared at him in wide-eyed stupors.

"Li-kun, you were helping Sakura to... do her maths? In the old cathedral?"

"What about it?" he snapped, "It's none of your business what I do, right? Don't get any ideas. I just needed a hand with my history..."

"Li-kun," Sakura said cluelessly, "You did really well in the history. In everything, even if you did grumble all the time..."

"Shut up!" he spat, "Just drop it!"

Looking hurt, she bowed her head. "Fine."

The other three girls, seeing that somehow they'd caused trouble, decided to leave, and the moment they were gone, Syaoran grudgingly turned and muttered, "Sorry Kinomoto..."

She looked stunned that he'd bothered to apologize, and broke out into a ghost of a smile. "Never mind. Let's just go grab those ice creams and get home, right?"

He nodded stiffly, and followed both girls inside the store.

On the other side of the street, the three girls giggled. "Wow," they mumbled. "Who'd have thought Li would ever apologize?"

And another pair of eyes surveyed the scene from their safe location, a smirk on the owner's face. Something very fun was bound to happen, that, they were sure of. There was a momentary haze, and then, the eyes were gone.

---

"You. Are. Late." Toya stood in the doorway, arms folded over his chest, glaring down at Sakura and Syaoran on the front step. Yet again, Tomoyo stood a safe distance away, camera poised.

"You didn't set a time, onii-chan," Sakura argued, pouting. Syaoran avoided looking at that.

"You know I don't like it when you come home after 5!" he snapped, "And it's 5:02!"

"Oh big deal," Syaoran breathed, but apparently Toya heard, because he grabbed Syaoran's collar, and hauled him up to his eye level... Syaoran's feet dangled uselessly above the ground.

"What was that, gaki?"

"Onii-chan!!" Sakura yelled, but she was ignored. Syaoran struggled in the bigger man's grasp. "Toya!" Sakura shrieked, crushing his foot beneath her own. He dropped Syaoran at once as his eyes widened in pain. Syaoran landed, for the second time that day, sprawling on the ground outside Sakura's house. "Li-kun, are you ok?" Sakura asked concernedly, grabbing his arm.

"Y-yeah," he coughed, massaging his throat. "Sorry we were late... I didn't mean for you to get in trouble."

She stood up, and held out a hand to help him to his feet. "No, it's not your fault. I didn't mean for you to get hurt, but onii-chan's just like that. Oh, and I was the one who suggested the ice creams anyway so, _I'm_ sorry, Li-kun."

She let go of his hand, "I'd better go now, but I'll see you tomorrow at school, ok? Good luck on the test."

"A-and you," he answered, and her brother slammed the door.

"Cheer up Li-kun," Tomoyo said, hurrying to his side, "Kinomoto-san doesn't exactly like many people..."

"I don't care," he grunted, and stalked past her. Tomoyo rose an eyebrow, slightly miffed, and followed him. After all, her house was a little way from Syaoran's, which was why he'd picked her up on his way to Sakura's that morning.

"_Sure_ Li, sure."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, huh?" he hissed, and she laughed.

"Nothing."

He clutched his head, containing his irritation, and then ran away. He ran. Away. He _ran away_??? Well, he attempted it. But Tomoyo was equally speedy, it seemed.

"Wait, Li-kun! You wouldn't let a lady walk home unescorted, would you!?" she called, and he stopped, groaning in defeat.

"Fine."

"By the way, Sakura wanted you to leave this on your doorstep tonight, if you could," Tomoyo added, passing him a bottle of ramenade (A/N: god I love that stuff! It should be more available dammit!). He took it, frowning.

"Why...?" he sighed, dismissing it as some magic custom they had. It was becoming his own custom to believe that whatever he didn't understand about the girls was associated with magic. "Whatever."

"That's very sweet."

"What is?"

"You don't question Sakura's wishes."

"So?"

She pouted. "Oh fine, have it your way Mr I-won't-admit-the-truth!" her pace increased so that she was walking ahead of him.

"Oi, wait! What truth? What the hell are you talking about?" However, she only laughed, and rounded the bend to her home, leaving Syaoran in the middle of the road.

_'I don't get these people! Especially her!'_ he thought, angrily striding over to his own mansion, and setting the bottle down on the doorstep. _'Why does she want me to leave that here anyway?'_ he wondered, but brushed it off, entering the household.

"Syaoran, welcome home," a strict voice called, and he looked up to see his mother at the top of the stairs. He stiffened out of habit, and made a light bow. "How did the studying go?"

"It went well, mother." A crease of sorrow crossed the beautiful woman's face as she heard the respectful tone in her son's voice. But it was gone almost immediately.

"You look a little untidy, for simply studying," she noted.

"Oh... that's Kinomoto's brother's doing. We were late. I'm sorry."

Yelan paused to consider those words. Who was Kinomoto? Syaoran had only told her that he went to study for the day, not that he would be accompanied. "Kinomoto?"

He winced, realising his mistake, "Yes, mother. A classmate who needed help with their maths."

"Oh I see. And why were you late?"

"We..." he hesitated, "Overstudied."

It was progress, she thought, that he had at least spent time with someone. So she dismissed him, and he calmly walked to his room, leaving his mother on the stairs. She would have to find out who Kinomoto was.

---

Syaoran stepped out onto the front step, and adjusted his bag strap as he looked around nervously. If Kinomoto had tricked him with that bottle, and somehow summoned a trap with it... he blinked. The only strange thing was that the bottle had been opened and drained. Unusual, but not deadly, so he pushed it to the back of his mind, and made his way to school. Test. He had better not fail...

---

"Good morning Li-kun," a calm, almost soothing voice greeted him as he entered the classroom. Tomoyo was sitting in her usual seat, diagonal from him, and beside Sakura. She had somehow persuaded Chiharu to move next to Yamazaki, and had taken the seat.

"Morning Daidouji," he said bluntly, and casually noted, "Kinomoto is late."

"True. But that's not unusual for Sakura-chan," Tomoyo told him, "It's a miracle she hasn't been late at all this past week. But then, she did have her brother waking her every morning, and now Kinomoto-san is busy... he got himself a part time job, you see?"

"I see." He made no further comment as he took his seat, and waited for the green-eyed girl to arrive.

"Take your seats!" Mr Terada called out as he entered, and Syaoran frowned. Sakura was always _this_ late?

"You're all aware, of course, that the test is today, and I hope you seized the opportunity to study over the weekend," the teacher continued, "But before we begin that, I'll call the roll. Arashi?"

"Here!"

"Arikea?"

"Here!"

"... Daidouji?"

"Hai... I mean, here!"

"Kinomoto?"

"..."

"Kinomoto?"

"..."

Syaoran and Tomoyo glanced anxiously at the seat where Sakura should have been sitting. Tomoyo looked worried now. Very worried. The teacher shrugged, and contined calling the roll.

"Daidouji," Syaoran whispered, "Is she usually so late?"

"No... I'm afraid she isn't coming to school today..." she looked to be in a good deal of pain over this news.

"So, maybe she just caught a cold, or something?" Syaoran suggested.

"No, that can't be it. I mean, it's not that it's impossible. She could have, but it's more like, if she _had_ caught a cold, she would've healed very quickly. Unless she was injured, or too weak to use her own magic, in which case, the responsibility of healing her would fall to me but..." she cut herself off, shaking her head, "I'm hoping there's another, more reasonable explanation to all this..."

Syaoran wet his lips, for they had become incredibly dry, and his face was very pale. "She could be hurt?"

"It's possible..." she turned her head to him, giving him a searching look. "Li-kun, can you do me a favour?"

"What?"

"Will you come with me this afternoon, to check on Sakura? I know she'd like it if you would."

His face changed quickly from white to red. "Why would I...? Why should I...?"

"Please, Li-kun. I truly need you to come with me."

He groaned. These two girls clearly had him wrapped around their little fingers. "Fine, Daidouji - "

"Li, Daidouji! Pay attention, unless what you're discussing is something very important for the rest of us to hear?" the teacher snapped, and they shook their heads, turning to what was written on the board.

"I will come though," Syaoran murmured out of the side of his mouth, "Not because I'm worried though, but because you seem like you really need me to, or something."

"Thankyou."

---

A leaf fell on his head as he followed the anxious woman down beyond the cathedral. "Daidouji..."

"This is a different route to her house."

"Yeah...?"

"We're taking it because it is faster."

"Oh. What do you need me for anyway?"

She was silent for a moment, but then she stopped, and turned slowly to face him. "Li-kun, for someone who doesn't believe in magic, you have an awful lot of it... in your life."

"Uh... maybe because everyone else believes in it?"

"In our language," she rose an eyebrow, "Mahou means magic."

"That's nice..." he said, trying to work out where she was going with this.

"And I'd like to add, that your little town here is not the only town in the world to believe in where we come from. However, they... have the ability to move on, and maintain their beliefs. Mahou is frozen."

"Where are you taking this?"

"I only mean to say, Li-kun, that you live in a very magic atmosphere, and I find it difficult to believe you truly have given up on your faith. A part of you must still stand by it."

"Wrong," he growled, "Don't try to force that stuff on me, you hear?"

"Yes, Li-kun. I hear you."

His heart pounded wildly. She had come so close to the truth, he was glad she had dropped it. "Good. Then, let's hurry up. If Kinomoto is hurt, you'll need to be there to do something about it, right?"

"Only if I'm capable of this so-called magic," she teased, but he felt a more serious undertone to the words, and grew sombre as a result. They arrived at Sakura's house in silence.

They knocked, and a tall man with silvery-grey hair answered the door. He wore glasses, and an unchanging smile. "Hello," he said, opening his eyes to see the two young people on the door step. Syaoran couldn't help wondering just how many men lived with her. "Ah, Tomoyo!" the man cried, "You're here to check on Sakura, right? And..." he glanced at Syaoran.

"Li, Syaoran."

"Tsukishiro, Yukito. You're also here to see Sakura?" he nodded, "I wasn't aware she'd made any friends yet... but it's not unlike her!"

"Is Sakura-chan alright?" Tomoyo asked, dropping her usual air of mischeif. Syaoran did not lower his guard; this girl seemed to enjoy taunting him, for one reason or another.

"Well... not really. Come inside..."

"Don't let that gaki over the threshold Yuki!" Syaoran was immediately on the defensive. He knew who that was, and he didn't bother to ask what 'gaki' meant; it was clearly an insult, and that was enough.

"Eh? Toya... why?"

"I don't like him, alright? He shouldn't be anywhere near Sakura!" Toya shouted, charging to the door. Tomoyo looked pleadingly up at him.

"Kinomoto-san... please, you must allow him through! He needs to see Sakura..." Toya narrowed his eyes, seeking the other meaning in Tomoyo's words. Apparently, he found it, because he reluctantly stepped aside.

"Fine. Just this once, ok?" she nodded, and Syaoran stepped through. He could feel Toya's glare on his back, and could hear Yukito's voice as he tried to calm him.

"Hey, Daidouji... why do I need to be here, again?" Syaoran asked, jogging to catch up to her. He didn't spare the house a glance, totally uninterested in the scenery right now, when Tomoyo kept giving such vague answers.

"Li-kun. I know your secret, or, at least, I know most of it, so I guess it's only fair that you know some of mine. Therefore, I promise to tell you... as soon as Sakura is well. Until then, I must beg of you, your trust. Please?"

He slumped against the stair railing, "Sure, Daidouji. It's not that I do or don't trust you, but..." he opened one eye, "I'll go along with this. I've come all the way out here now, so I might as well see it through, right?"

She smiled lightly, "Thankyou." They continued up the stairs, and along the hallway to Sakura's room; quite obvious, decorated as it was in pink and white, with cherry blossoms carved in, along with her name. Tomoyo reached up, and knocked softly.

"H-hai..." Sakura's voice floated through the wooden blockade, faint and forced.

They opened the door, and Sakura sat up in bed, looking dazed. "Tomoyo... Li-kun...?" she stared at them blankly.

"Hey, Sakura-chan... we noticed you weren't at school today, and we were worried, so we came to check on you," Tomoyo supplied.

"Oh... onii-chan said it's just a fever..."

"But, if you've got a fever, you should have healed already..." Tomoyo bit her lip, knowing this must be her fault.

"Only if I'm strong enough. I'm resting till I feel I can do it..." Sakura said, and turned to Syaoran, "And thanks for worrying about me, but I'm fine."

"I-I... I wasn't!" he insisted, "Daidouji told me to come along."

"Eh? Why, Tomoyo?"

The dark-haired girl backed away a little. "Because, if you were sick... I would need his help. Because I... can't do this myself... and he can."

"Do what?"

She took a deep breath. "Well..."

---

**AN: **Sorry for ending it there! Heh heh, I bet some of you have already guessed what Tomoyo's secret is now, right?

So, there's a few things to address in this chapter... um, the bottle of ramenade will be explained later, and has more significance than you might think... lil' white raven might hazard a guess, however ^_^ Then there's Syaoran's secret... which is a big one too. And... the Teishu Kagi. No gender, because that makes it harder to guess!

Thankyou to ShadoWolfDemon for pointing out that 'Kagi of Henkou' should actually be 'Henkou no Kagi' and I've mended that mistake in this chapter. I'll keep it that way! Naturally, I still can't tell you what either of those mean.

Thanks also to lil' white raven, for pointing out that Tomoyo needs to be a bit more of a tease; I watched some more episodes, and saw that you were correct, for she does subtley tease Syaoran a lot. And thanks to DN angel and cardcaptor sakura (did I get the name right?) for reviewing on each chapter, it's really appreciated!

Now, words in Japanese to check up on:

Konbanwa - good evening  
Gomen ne - (if I am not mistaken) I'm sorry  
Hai - yes, or, here (giving)  
Wakarimashta - I understand  
Onii-chan - big brother  
Gaki - (I think I'm right, from what Toya says in CCS) kid, or, brat. (It might just be kid though...)

Anyway, as always, please review!!

Kura


	5. Sakura and Her Friend's Big Secrets

_"Isn't that the Li kid?"_

_"Yeah... man, he's as weird as everyone says!"_

_"I've never spoken to him, but apparently he only talks about some girl he thinks he found in a cathedral... can't get a word in yourself, and it's sort of creepy, like he's stalking her, or something..."_

_"But he's only seen her once, if he's seen her at all."_

_Syaoran shifted so that his back was to the gossiping group of girls, trying in vain to ignore their comments. It was all that stupid 'Sakura's fault he ended up like this anyway. Why didn't she wait like he'd asked her to?_

_Besides, that wasn't the only thing on his mind anymore. For several days now, his father had not returned home, and it was bugging him. It was unlike his father..._

_"Good morning Li!"_

_He started, and glanced up in search of the speaker, but there was no one around. He must have been imagining it. Frowning, he returned his gaze to the ground._

_"Li," a male voice called, "Your mother's in the office. She needs to speak to you." Syaoran stared at the speaker; Yamazaki, he thought he was called, and nodded, rising off the chair and making his way over to the office. Rumours swirled around him, but he blocked them out; maybe his mother had found his father?_

_The glass door opened, and his mother stood before him with a sombre expression on her face. "Syaoran," she said, "The priests have spoken. They believe your father will not be returning to us."_

_"What? Why can't they just wait? He can't be long now, wherever he..."_

_"Syaoran, please, calm down. We have a lot to discuss, so you need to come with me to see the priests, alright? Syaoran, can you hear me? Syaoran?"_

_Syaoran, used to blocking out voices by now, couldn't hear her anymore. If the priests thought his father would not return, then it was likely they had assumed his father was... dead. Why couldn't their magic save him now? Why weren't they doing anything? If magic was so limitless, why couldn't it bring his father back to him?_

**Chapter Five: Sakura and Her Friend's Big Secrets**

"Tomoyo...?" Sakura looked pale. "What is it?"

The girl had frozen, unable to continue. She was pressed against the wall, swallowing hard. "I-I-I..." she dug her nails into the yellow painted walls, scratching some of the paint off. "I... I can't... say it!"

"Say what? Daidouji, calm down! What'll we do if you have a heart attack, or something?" Syaoran snapped, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Take a deep breath, and relax."

She obeyed, breathing in and out, slowly and ryhthmically. "Ok... I'll try to explain. I'm not supposed to tell Sakura, but I'm making a judgement now, that it's better she knows rather than not. No matter what the Teishu Kagi said."

Sakura gasped, and gaped at her friend. "Tomoyo...! You always told me you wanted to allow things to move as they were meant, without interfering...?"

"I said that, but I also said that if things were going to effect my friend's happiness, I would step in and take action. I said that as long as the people I care about were happy, I would be happy, and there was no reason to take things into my own hands... but, in this case, it effected you either way. It was necessary to give something up to get something, you know that's how she works, and not by choice."

Syaoran was lost. He collapsed on the floor beside Sakura's bed, and jumped when he felt Sakura's hand on his head. Raising his gaze to her's, he saw that she was in a state of shock, and only subconsciously resting her hand there. He decided that just this once, he'd let it go. "So, Daidouji, you gave something up? What?"

Here she hesitated again, as pale as the sick girl on the bed. "Well... it was... my ability to wield magic." She sunk to the floor, drawing her knees to her chin, and covering her face with her hands. When she spoke again, her voice shook with tears. "I-I knew it would make it hard to protect Sakura..." her shoulders hitched up and down, "B-but if I didn't get that i-information... she'd b-be in ev-ven more trouble..."

Syaoran cringed. He hated seeing girls cry. It was wrong.

"So I gave up my magic, and got the information. And I tried to hide it from you, Sakura, because... the T-teishu Kagi told me that i--f you found out t-too soon, it would be a problem... but now you're sick and I... c-can't help you!" she raised her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"W-where does Li-kun fit into this?" Sakura asked, fighting to keep her voice steady.

"L-li-kun... c-can..." she looked hopefully at the brown haired boy, "H-he can help..."

He froze.

No.

No.

No, no, no, no, no! Never, never again, he couldn't, wouldn't, refused! How could she expect him to use that? To use it on this girl he barely knew? What if he screwed up anyway? What if it made her worse, like...

"Li-kun! Please!" Tomoyo begged, "Heal her!"

"Li-kun...? He can't... he doesn't believe in magic so how...?" Sakura glanced from one to the other, confused and alone.

"Please? I won't ask you again, if you can only help her, please! I am begging you!" she continued to plead, the words turning into a constant babble he didn't even bother to try to decipher.

He did not want to go near this zone again. He would not do it. "Why can't you just let her heal naturally!?" he spat, leaping to his feet, and making a dash for the door, "It's just a fever, it's not like magic can do everything, don't you know?"

He raced out the door, and closed it on the stunned Sakura, and the crying Tomoyo, sliding down to the floor outside, and trying to steady his heartbeat. He had panicked, and probably made them think he was heartless. But, how could they ask him to do that? To go near that... that _stuff_?

---

"T-tomoyo..." Sakura whispered, turning to her mess of a friend on the floor, "Don't cry. I'm sorry you can't use magic anymore, but it's ok, right? You don't _need_ it to protect me, you've done fine so far. And anyway, Li-kun's right! I'll heal up soon, it's just a bit of a fever..."

"But Sakura! A bit of a fever can escalate, and before you know it, you can be on your death bed! The Teishu Kagi, she assured me that magic would be necessary to care for you in the future... what if she meant this? She said someone would help you! And..." she sniffed, "You know what we're like... it's not like magic is just a short cut to healing, it's the _only_ way for us!"

"Y-yes but... it really is just a little temperature!" Sakura tried to reassure her, reaching out for the other girl's hands. "Come on, I'll be alright..."

"Sakura... our immune systems rely on the magic of our partners... because I have no magic, your's is weaker!" Tomoyo wailed, burying her face in Sakura's lap.

"Yes but..."

"And that means this 'little fever' could easily kill you...!"

"Tomoyo!" she cried out, "Please, stop it! I hate seeing you like this! It makes me feel worse than the fever, so please, stop crying. It's not your fault, and I'm sure after a few days rest, I'll feel well enough to heal myself."

"And if you don't feel better...?" she asked meekly.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I mean, we'll ask someone else - maybe onii-chan, or Yukito...?"

"But your onii-sama is the Bondingu no Kagi... their magic only works on each other!"

"Well..." the door swung open, and Syaoran stood in the doorway, a look of pain spread across his features.

"Y-you're really... going to die if someone doesn't help you?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"It's not definite... but it's possible," Sakura admitted.

"In that case..." he took a deep breath, "I can't just let you die, can I?"

"Li-kun, you don't have to do this you know, Tomoyo's overdramatising, I-!" she began.

"You're lying. I _know_ I don't have to, and I don't want to. But someday in the future, if you die, I'll always wonder whether it was my fault; whether or not I might have prevented it. In which case, I know I need to do something." He paused, and Sakura mouthed his name in a mixture of awe and surprise. "Daidouji. I need you to leave; it's got to be a clean environment, so the less people the better."

"Of course - oh! Sakura's onii-sama..."

"What about him?"

"He'd never let you stay in a room alone with Sakura..."

"He'll have to, won't he? Cover for me. Just leave so I can get this over with," he grunted.

"Hai!" she shot out the door, rubbing her cheeks vigorously as she ran.

"Now," he turned to Sakura, "I'm a little rusty, but... then, the last person was an ordinary human, so maybe your magic will support it, or something."

"It's possible."

He hesitantly reached under his shirt to take the charm that even now hung about his neck. Despite the fact that he'd tried to leave magic behind, he'd been unable to abandon the item. He raised it now to eye level, closing his eyes and allowing the long supressed power course through his veins again. It was, he would admit, exhilarating, and adrenaline rushed through him a split second behind the magic. But though it was a part of him, he saw no reason for him to use it, when it bothered him as it did. When it was not unlimited.

The charm was a round black orb, attatched to the hilt of a sword, or so it appeared. As he breathed in and out, it pulsed a yellow colour, and with a final flash, extended into a sharp sword. He swallowed, staring blankly at the weapon he had summoned. Magic. He'd used it again. Sakura also eyed the blade, and he sighed; he'd done it now, he may as well finish it.

---

Downstairs, Tomoyo was struggling to convince Toya that she had not just given Sakura and Syaoran any 'alone time'.

"What do you mean he _climbed out the window_?" Toya hissed, "Why?"

"Uh... he didn't want another run-in with you, Kinomoto-san!" she assured him, "He figured he may as well leave now, since Sakura is fine... or she will be, anyway."

"What makes you think she'll be alright Tomoyo?" he asked, "You can't heal her... and the healers in this town are frauds. What are we gonna do?"

"Relax, Toya," Yukito murmured, "Tomoyo knows what she's doing. When she gave her magic to the Teishu Kagi, she was told that Sakura would be safe, because someone would always be watching out for her. Isn't that right?"

"That's right. The Li boy has magical abilities of his own," Tomoyo said softly, "He's going to attempt to heal her later, he can't do it just yet. But he has given his word."

"Magical capabilities? That brat?" Toya asked, eyebrows raised, "That's unusual in a human."

"It's true nevertheless. Sakura just needs to rest for now..." she continued, but Toya began to move past her. "Uh, where're you going?"

"To check on Sakura, of course..."

"Uh! That's alright! How about I do that?"

"Fine, we can go together..."

_CRASH!_

"What was that!?" they all cried at once, and raced towards the stairs.

---

Syaoran reached into his pocket, knowing the _fulu_ would be there, just like the charm, always there because deep down he'd been every ready for disaster to strike, and his magic to become necessary once again. Pulling it out, he stared at it with a flicker of surprise. When he was younger, being trained by Wei and his father in the use of these _fulu_, he had always assumed he would use them only in defence, or battle. But now, using them to heal...? He wondered if he shouldn't use the other method he'd been taught for healing. This also used the sword, however the _fulu_ were not necessary. Then he recalled the effects of that method from the last time he had weilded magic, and decided against it.

Raising the _fulu_, he set it at the base of the blade, just on the point between blade and hilt, and held the sword across his body horizontally, being careful not to slice his fingers. Breathe in, out, in, out...

"Hanpatsu!" he shouted, realising as he released the spell that this word his teachers had given him sounded a lot like the gibberish Sakura and the others occasionally spoke in. Perhaps it was a word from their 'realm'?

Light burst out from the blade's entire length, engulfing Sakura in a sphere of bright colours, rippling around as the oil in a bubble does. She seemed entranced by the patterns, and in amazement at his 'skill'. Then, also like a bubble, the sphere rose into the air, hovering above the bed, taking Sakura with it. Syaoran was shaking, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead with the effort of maintaining the spell. And then, just as he felt his legs giving way, the bubble popped, and dropped Sakura onto the bed.

"Oof!" she yelped, and Syaoran collapsed, quivering to the ground beside her. "Li-kun!" she cried, and darted to his side, grabbing his shoulders and lifting him into a kneeling position. "Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah..." he leaned back against the bed, "Just tired... d-did it work?"

She blinked, apparently having forgotten her own troubles, and then slowly reached a hand up to her forehead to feel her temperature. "I certainly _feel_ better. And I don't have a temperature anymore so... thankyou so much!" she held out a hand, and helped him to his feet. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Positive, Kinomoto..." but as he spoke, his knees gave out once again, and he landed on the floor with a loud _bang_!

"Li-kun!" Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"S-sorry for what!?" he croaked, trying to pry her off him, but she just kept crying, and he grew more and more uncomfortable. "K-kinomoto...!"

The door slammed open, and Toya stood in the doorway, flanked on either side by Yukito and Tomoyo. Tomoyo already had her camera out, and Yukito looked stunned. Toya... looked murderous.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SISTER!!" he roared, storming forwards and grabbing him by the back of his shirt, choking him as he hoisted him to the ground. Sakura hurriedly let go of him to avoid being carried along. "TELL ME, RIGHT NOW, WHY IS SAKURA CRYING?"

Syaoran gasped for air, clawing at the material around his neck, and glaring at the man holding him.

"ONII-CHAN!" Sakura shouted, "PUT HIM DOWN!"

"Why were you crying, Sakura-chan?" Yukito asked gently.

"I'll answer when Toya lets him go!" she replied, the tears returning to her eyes. Syaoran was already weak, he quite possibly saved her life, and this was the thanks he was getting?

Grudgingly, her brother set him on his feet, and Syaoran yet again fell to the floor, massaging his throat. "I was crying," Sakura said as she approached the boy, only to be stopped by her brother. "_Because_," she continued, "Li-kun had to do something painful to help me."

"Eh?" Toya exhaled, "Like what?"

"Kinomoto-san," Tomoyo stepped in, though her camera was mysteriously still aimed at Sakura, now kneeling beside Syaoran on the floor, "I told you, did I not, that Li-kun would be healing Sakura?"

He shot her a glare. "You did. You also said he wasn't here right now. I assumed we would be in the room!"

"He requested that we leave; he needed a sterile environment, ne, Li-kun?"

The boy coughed, and nodded. Toya clenched and unclenched his fists, clearly unsure how to react now. "It was painful...?"

"Li-kun has avoided belief in magic for a long time onii-chan. He has tried to keep his abilities a secret, because he wanted nothing to do with this stuff. Besides which, he's been weakened by the healing... but as you can see, I'm perfectly healthy now!" she smiled.

"Fine. So, he's finished now, and he can go! Right? Out, now, gaki."

Syaoran glowered at the older man, and rose to his feet. "Gladly," he spat, and stalked past Toya out into the hallway, and into the bright daylight. Sakura also shot her brother a glare, and dashed out after him, a goal in mind.

"Li-kun, Li-kun, wait!" she called, running behind him in her pajama's and slippers. He stopped, turning to face her, and frowning.

"What now?" he muttered. She reached him, and held out a second bottle of ramenade.

"Please... please put this on your doorstep again tonight. I promise there's a good reason why I keep asking. Oh, and, I'm really sorry about my brother, ok? He's always like that, and really mean! He didn't mean anything by it, I think... well, he's never liked the boys that hang around with me, but truth is, he's really never disliked someone as much as you... ah, now I'm babbling, I'm sorry!"

_'Then why does he hate me? I didn't _do_ anything...'_ he mused. "Don't worry about it. I'll put the bottle down, so don't worry."

"Thankyou, Li-kun. Don't ever hesitate... to ask me if you need something! I want to pay you back for healing me, and helping Tomoyo out. She's always wanted to look after me so..." her eyes lowered, "This must really hurt her. Because when we were little, Tomoyo-chan didn't have anyone to talk to, or play with. And I decided to become friends with her, so ever since then, we've looked out for each other. The fact that she doesn't have the magic to protect me anymore... would be hard. So, thankyou Li-kun, for helping us!"

"U-uh... yeah. Don't mention it. Really."

She smiled, nodded, and turned back to her house, leaving him alone on the street. Not wanting to face Tomoyo, (who would likely bring further thanks) he hurried home, the ramenade sloshing around in the bottle, and the faint chinking sound of the glass ball against the outside of the bottle. (A/N: Ramenade bottles are strangely shaped, with a little glass marble thing in the neck... look at a picture.)

---

"I'm home."

"Welcome, Syaoran." Yelan stood as she did every afternoon, at the base of the stairs. As usualy, Syaoran had made to go past her, but today, Yelan wanted to know more about Syaoran's doings. He never spoke to her, and he looked... so exhausted. "Where did you go this afternoon? You are late."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not angry. Just curious as to what kept you."

"A... friend's. They were sick, and... I went to see them, so..." he grimaced, "I'm tired, may I be excused?"

She hesitated. Much as she would like to know when her son had taken the time to befriend anyone, she realised he was clearly telling the truth, and not attempting an escape. "Alright... oh, before I forget... your cousin wanted to speak with you."

He froze, and breathed, "Meilin...?"

"You don't have any other cousins, do you?" she said with a hint of amusement. "So before you sleep, you should speak to her."

"Yeah. Ok, mother." Yelan cast her gaze to the doorstep, and frowned at the bottles of ramenade.

"And one more thing... who gives you those bottles?"

"Ah... Kinomoto," he replied distractedly, eager to be on his way now that his mother had brought the topic of his distress out into the open.

"This person, they are aware that he prefers alcohol, aren't they...?" she continued, turning and raising an eyebrow at him, "But Syaoran doesn't believe in..."

"Kinomoto just told me to put the bottles on the doorstep. If there's a reason behind that request, I can't fathom it. And you know as well as anyone mother that I cannot turn my back on magic as a whole... because I'm a part of it, right?" he said stubbornly.

"Right. Very well, I'll allow you to see Meilin-chan now." He jumped. Had his mother just used one of those strange suffixes? "What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing... I'll go now." He turned away from her, knowing he must have imagined it after spending so much time with Tomoyo and Sakura, and approached the white walled room at the end of the hallway. "Meilin..." he whispered, his throat choking up. He gently applied pressure to the door, and it swung open without a sound. Meilin hated the screech it would make it he slammed it open, or if it went unoiled. "Are you... improving?" He raised his gaze to the girl on the bed in the centre of the room, and gasped. It was answer enough.

---

Morning dawned bright and clear, for once leaving the air of Mahou mist free. Sakura crept out of the house quietly, deciding to walk to school together with Tomoyo today. She usually walked with her brother and Yukito, before parting ways close to the high school they were attending, but she wanted to assure Tomoyo that it was ok for her to no longer have any magic. Yesterday, after Syaoran had left, and after Tomoyo had fawned over how happy she was to see Sakura healthy, the same girl had declared she would return to her realm, and though it made her sad, would request to hand her title of 'keeper' to someone more suited to the task. Sakura had convinced her that it was a bad idea, as Tomoyo had already given up her magic for a good reason; some form of information, and that a new keeper would not have that information.

_'Even though Li-kun was hurt,'_ she thought as she felt the cool morning air tugging at her hair, _'Even though he didn't want to use magic, he did it to help me. So Tomoyo shouldn't worry so much, because if there's trouble, Li-kin is a kind person. Am I terrible for thinking that? But... magic isn't a bad thing. It's just his memory of his father that is hurting him. So I'll help him!'_ She double checked that the bottle was safe in her bag. Even if the little creature didn't like it shaken up, it would have settled by the evening when he would receive it. _'Li-kun, I'll do my best. So you'll just have to open up to me!'_

She reached Tomoyo's house, and waited by the gate for the violet eyed girl to arrive, continuing to think about what she knew, and how she could acheive her goals. Finding who she came for. Helping Syaoran. Doing whatever it was Tomoyo wanted her here for, if that goal was not the same as the first two.

"Sakura!" a voice broke into her thoughts, "What are you doing here?" Sakura turned her head to see a startled Tomoyo standing in her drive way. She broke into a grin, hoping to encourage her friend.

"Hey Tomoyo! I know I usually walk to school with Yukito-san and onii-chan, but since you were feeling low, I thought I might walk with you today. I want you to cheer up, because if you're sad Tomoyo, I'm sad too."

"Eh? Sakura-chan..." she hesitated. For Tomoyo, seeing Sakura sad was the biggest pain. So she was in a huge dilemma now. "I-I..." she tried in vain to seek an excuse.

"If it helps... I promise I'll try on a new outfit after school!" Sakura offered, and Tomoyo could resist no longer.

"Really? Thankyou Sakura!!" she cried, racing over and hugging her tightly, "Thankyou so much! So, let's get to school, we don't want to be late, do we?"

Sakura nodded, and followed her jubilant friend and master down the hill towards the Mahou Elementary School. The school was already filling up with the other students, and Sakura subconsciously sought Syaoran's face. Not seeing it, she supposed she would find him in either the class room, or see him later in the day. Though she realised it was unusual for him to be as late as her...

Then, she recalled that she had woken early especially to go to school with Tomoyo, who was never late. That might explain things.

However, even as the lesson began, Syaoran had not arrived. Sakura tried desperately to hide her concern, but Tomoyo noticed at once. "Sakura-chan?" she whispered, "Are you worried about Li-kun?" She nodded her head lightly, turning once again to the empty seat behind her. Perhaps when he had healed her, there'd been more reason why he didn't want to? Perhaps he was in trouble now? Or perhaps... perhaps he'd overdone it, and was now ill? She bit her lip, loosing interest in the lesson. "Then," Tomoyo continued softly, " Should we visit after school, and see how he is?"

Sakura hesistated. After all, it wasn't good manners to show up at someone's house completely uninvited, was it? Certainly, she was worried. But she could probably wait until tomorrow to see if he was at school, couldn't she? "No, Tomoyo. We'll wait until tomorrow; if he's away then, we can go and see him." Even as she said it, her worry increased. All throughout the day, she was unable to focus; if Syaoran was sick, or hurt because he had to help her, then she wouldn't be able to forgive herself very easily. And _he_ might not forgive her.

"Sakura-chan, you look pretty down, what's wrong?" Chiharu asked her at lunch.

"Mm...? It's nothing. I guess I haven't entirely recovered from my fever, or something...?" she replied distractedly, being pulled from her thoughts about how she would explain her presence tomorrow, if indeed she turned up at Syaoran's house.

"Is it about the kid?" Kero asked curiously, "I wonder why he's away too." Suddenly, Rika, Naoko and Chiharu looked miserable. "What'd I say?" Kero added.

"Well," Rika said, "I hope I'm wrong. But it might be something to do with Meilin... I hope she's alright. Li-kun said, when I asked recently, that it looked like she was improving but..."

"Meilin?" Sakura repeated dumbly.

"Is that his cousin?" Tomoyo queried in her usual concerned voice, "He mentioned her when I spoke to him after maths that day. I didn't realise there was anything wrong with her."

Naoko sighed, "Actually, Meilin-chan's parents... they passed away real recently. She lives with Li-kun and his family now but... unfortunately, she's unable to come to school. We don't know the details, but, she's very sick."

Sakura's face fell. So, was something wrong with his cousin? She would be relieved that he personally wasn't suffering, but she supposed that 'Meilin' was close to Syaoran... so that was also bad. "Tomoyo," she murmured when the others began to converse on another topic, "I think I want to go see him today, now... Besides, I have to give _it_ the ramenade, right? It may not be Li-kun this time, but he would be disappointed if he didn't get any today, wouldn't he?"

"That's true... but Sakura, what are you trying to accomplish with making Li give him ramenade?" she frowned, puzzling over it.

"That's a secret, Tomoyo, and I can't tell you. But, it really is for his own good," she said, half to herself as she thought about what would happen when she was finished with her job. She had so much to do here in the human realm, and no idea how long it would take. She also didn't know how long Tomoyo was giving her to stay here; as her keeper, it was Tomoyo's decision when they left or arrived. Or, whether they came in the first place. This occuring to her, she had to ask, "Tomoyo-chan... why did you allow me to come and look for...?"

"Shh, Sakura. Not so loud, everyone's here, remember? And, in answer to your question; your father asked you to come and look, and that's a fact. I said we could go, because I also have tasks to accomplish here. Everyone is happy; I did not do this unselfishly. I have much to gain from being here - the first of which will occur soon, I know."

"Is this something the Teishu Kagi told you?"

"It is."

"What are you guys talking about?" Chiharu interrupted, leaning in closer. They smiled, and waved it off as nothing in particular, so they rejoined the other's conversation, which was about the upcoming excursion to the runes in the mountains. Sakura was actually quite looking forward to this, but her happiness didn't show today. She felt guilty about making Syaoran use magic, and it just wouldn't leave her mind. When she reached his house that afternoon, she promised herself, she would not stop apologizing until he said he forgave her.

Because when she thought about it, he never had said anthing like that. When she had apologized before, he'd only told her to stop crying, and tried to push her away. _'Pushing me away. He seems to do that a lot... I wonder why?'_ She remembered how on her first day here, the others had told her about Syaoran's isolating himself, but she really couldn't understand why he wouldn't accpet new friendships. She loved making friends, and the concept of being alone frightened her. She wondered if Syaoran felt alone, and if that scared him too.

As the students rose to leave the school, Sakura resolved to make sure Syaoran was never alone, either. It didn't have to be her that kept him company, just so long as there was somebody who cared about him, stood by him, and understood him. Someone who could help him when he was suffering. Someone who could advise him when he was doing something wrong. She had so many of those people in her life, that the thought that someone had no one had never occured to her before.

"Sakura, are you ready to go? Of course, we should change you out of your uniform... because for special occassions, special clothes are required."

"Tomoyo, this isn't a special occassion... I am worried, so we should just go now." She didn't mean to be blunt, especially since she was trying to make Tomoyo happy today, but she felt she didn't have time to try on new outfits right now, when she just wanted to see what was going on.

So, without any further discussion, the two set out towards where they had been told the Li Mansion was. Yes, mansion. Sakura felt just a little jealous of this, but then, she knew what it was like to get lost in such places, and realised that she would also have a lot more trouble getting ready for school, as she would never be able to remember where she left things. In the end, she settled on her small yellow house (until she returned to her own realm, where she had a semi-large house, so really, she didn't have any right to be jealous of Syaoran...).

Swallowing, Sakura set the bottle of ramenade onto the porch beside the other two empty ones (why hadn't Syaoran removed them?) and reached up, ringing the doorbell. In a dramatically slow manner, the door creaked open, and there before them, stood a tall, elegant and incredibly beautiful woman with long black hair, in traditional Chinese garb.

"May I help you?" she asked, arching a perfectly shaped brow at them.

"Um," Sakura hurriedly bowed, "I-I am Kinomoto Sakura, and this is Daidouji Tomoyo... uh, we're here to speak to Li Syaoran..." she trailed off when Yelan Li (for it was she) took her chin, and raised her face to be examined.

"Oh. So, you are Kinomoto, are you? Hm. Syaoran did not mention his 'friend' was a girl," she noted, making Sakura all the more uncomfortable. Was it a bad thing for Syaoran to befriend a girl?

She was about to say something to this effect, when Syaoran appeared behind his mother, freezing in surprise when he saw her. "K-Kinomoto? What're you...? Oh, and Daidouji too..." he shook his head quickly, glancing at his mother with a flicker of confusion, "Uh, what're you doing here...? How did you know where I-?"

"It's better you don't ask," Sakura mumbled, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, "It was sort of a disaster..."

**For Reader's Interest:**

_"Sakura, really, you _do_ know that Mahou have phone books, right? And that there are students who know where Li-kun lives?" - Tomoyo_

_"Yeah but..." the other girl bit her lip, frowing, "I forgot to ask..."_

_"Which is why now we're..."_

_She nodded, and knocked on the door, scrunching the map of Mahou in her other hand. The door opened, and a very grumpy looking housewife glared down at her. "Whaddaya want?" she snapped._

_Sakura swallowed, and coughed. "Uh... is this the Li residence?"_

_"NO! GO WAY!" the woman yelled, her accent causing her to drop the 'a' on 'away'. It rather reminded the girls of a cave woman. In fact, the woman produced a wooden roller, the type of which one uses to flatten ingredients in cooking, and began chasing them down the street. They were forced to avoid knocking on any more doors, until they reached the end of the street, were herded up the driveway, and to the door, and there the woman left them, grunting and stalking back down to her own home. And that, dear friends, is how Sakura and Tomoyo found Syaoran's house, so really, we ought to thank that cavewoman..._

_Oh yeah. And it saved them the trouble of more door knocking._

**:Back to the Story**

"So, basically, we checked the phone book, of course!" Tomoyo stated, smiling weakly.

"But... our address isn't listed in the phone book..." he corrected them.

"Let me finish Li. I said we checked the phone book, but when we couldn't find it, we asked around the class... and as for _why_ we're here," she hastened, before Syaoran could press for more information, "Well, Sakura and I were worried, since you weren't at school. The others were also worried."

"Oh," Sakura interrupted, "And also, we got our test results today..." she rummaged through her bag for a moment, and then handed him an envelope, " I volunteered to deliver it to you, since we were coming to check on you," she smiled brightly, before adding, "Oh, and thanks to you, I got 75% on my maths test!"

He furrowed his brows and nodded, "Yeah, yeah..." then he noticed that his mother was still present, and following their conversation with a good deal of interest. He immediately became flustered, "Oh! Um, mother, this is... uh, these are..."

"His friends from school," Tomoyo supplied helpfully, "And before we go too far into the introductions, Sakura and I came to find out why you weren't at school. As I can see that you're quite healthy... is it your cousin?"

Syaoran stiffened, narrowing his eyes at her. "My cousin," he repeated maliciously, "What about my cousin?"

"You did mention her before. And some girls at school were worried that she was sick. Is that so?" Tomoyo continued, unphazed by his tone of voice. "She lives here, right?"

Sakura nodded several times too quickly, growing dizzy. "Unh... uh, but, is she ok, Li-kun?" she covered her mouth quickly, "Sorry, I mean, it's just Li around others, isn't it?"

"Don't bother," he grumbled, "You've already got everyone at school doing it, so... no point..." he raised his eyebrows, and added reluctantly, "Do you want to come in?"

Sakura pursed her lips, and sighed. "I think it's better we don't, personally. Onii-chan is a very impatient man, and it really wouldn't do to get you in trouble again... so I think Tomoyo and I will just go home. I just wanted to see if you were ok, and to pass on your test results... Um, and, if you're not going to be at school tomorrow, I wouldn't mind bringing you our school work... ja ne... uh, that is, see you..."

"It's odd," he muttered before she could leave, "It feels nice when people say 'see you' now, but... it still seems a bit off... like they don't care when they see me next. Why do you think that is?" he asked them, surprised at himself for continuing the conversation, not to mention asking such a stupid question.

"Well..." Tomoyo chewed her lip, "Maybe a part of you wants to be like all the others. You know, a part of that life."

"If it bothers you," Sakura said, "Then I'll teach you a new word; mata ashita. Where we come from, this means, 'see you tomorrow'. It's my way of saying that I want to see you each day, not just someday. So, mata ashita, Li-kun! Promise."

"O-okay... I promise... to be there tomorrow. Mata ashita."

Sakura grinned, grabbed Tomoyo's hand, saying 'c'mon Moyo', and began to hurry away. However, Tomoyo resisted long enough to wave at Syaoran, saying, "Li-kun? Mata ashita. Me too."

Speechless, Syaoran just waved goodbye, and watched as they raced down his drive way. These girls... _'they're... they're idiots...'_

"Syaoran," his mother broke into his thoughts, and he was again reminded of her presence, "What country are your friends from?"

Because she sounded so serious, Syaoran made no protest to the friends remark, and replied as evenly as he could, "I don't know exactly, but the other day... I could have sworn you used one of their weird words..."

"Oh?" she frowned, trying vainly to remember what she had said, "Well, that's because I know a little of that language... but Syaoran, it's so peculiar for their people to leave the country... and when they do, there's almost always an ulterior motive, so I'd like you to please watch your step around those girls. Do they know you can use magic?" he nodded, so she continued, "Please don't show them the full extent... ah, but I really shouldn't need to ask you that, after all, you rarely use it. However, you are of course well aware that it's impossible for those born like this to turn their backs on it? Magic is unstoppable. So I think you might learn something of value from those girls anyway. And of course, I am glad you made some friends, Meilin will like them too, when she is better."

_'She neglected to say 'if', didn't she? After all, Meilin has already lost her parents to the same disease. And I don't even remember it being this bad,'_ he thought, before he approached the room where his cousin was sleeping. Inside, it was clear that her fever wasn't going down, and he whispered an apology to Sakura and Tomoyo. It looked like they wouldn't see him tomorrow after all.

"Syaoran?" Meilin croaked, her eyes inching half way open, "Where were you?"

"Some friends from school came to give me my test results. They're the new students I told you about... and they wished you well."

"Even though they don't know me? That was nice of them. Probably not heartfelt, but at least I appreciate the thought... you'll stay tomorrow, won't you? I miss being with you... I'll have to get better really quickly, so I can go back to school, and be with you again, right Syaoran?" she whispered, a flicker of determination in her soft voice.

"That's right. I'll stay tomorrow... but I do have to run an errand in the afternoon. It shouldn't take me long, so don't worry," he replied, resting a hand on her cold ones, and considering how much a bottle of ramenade would cost him. Sakura seemed to think he had to do it on a daily basis, and though he couldn't think why, even his mother seemed to have noticed it, and he figured it was worth trying, in any case. He recalled what his mother had just said; if Sakura and Tomoyo were from a different realm, how did his mother know about their language, and country? And could the two really have malicious intent?

It was hard to believe. But nevertheless, he would remain on his guard. Because as it was, he seemed to be all too at ease with the two girls, and for him, this was a very bad sign. He would be careful. And at the same time... he'd be watching them closely.

---

**AN: **Yeah, I am back, but this is my final update for the next week or so, because my half yearly exams are on Thursday and Friday, so I need to study a bit. I'm not terribly keen on this chapter, because I feel I may have packed too much into it. I'm also really self-conscious of description now, and I think I may have over done it, or not done it well... besides, Tomoyo and Syaoran spilled the beans a little too quickly for my taste...

Then again, it _is_ a fan fiction, and it _is_ a story, and so you can't waste the entire story on tiny parts like that. Because even though they were important they're not the entire plot. So I dunno, let your reviews be the judge. Please review soon, alrighty?

Oh yes! Also, when reading over this a while back, I noticed that when Tomoyo joined Sakura and Syaoran's school, she said she convinced everyone with a bit of magic. She did not, in fact, do this. She only pretended. It was Sakura's brother who managed to convince the teachers of the school. There was something else too... but I can't remember right now, so I'll note it later. If you see any other loopholes, please let me know, and I'll try to fix this. Now, review, review please!

Kura


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